The first months of 2023 they are leaving great performances of the main squad stars: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Roglic… everyone is winning in this initial stretch of the year, but among the most prominent runners, there are one still neither even has debuted: Juan Ayuso (20 years). Its premiere was scheduled at the beginning of February, for the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, but tendinitis left him out. what seemed like a simple trouble that would happen, did not disappear in the corridor, that he complained in his Achilles tendon in his right leg when training intensity increased. For now, continue with your recoveryand this will be the one It will mark his return, for the one who still remains.
Joxean Matxín (52 years), manager of the team UAE, to which Juan belongs, and who has been next to the Jávea corridor since cadets, explains the current situation in AS. “One has to go step by step, with patience. The evolution is currently being good, and I have a trusted person on the team who does an exhaustive monitoring said Matxín, who admits: “I talk to Ayuso every day. Stand by him when everything is fine, it’s simple but when you have to Being really is in moments like this ”.
La Vuelta, the great goal of the year
For this reason, from the UAE they have prepared a plan to prepare their return. The runner must complete four weeks of “quality” training at the highest level, and they are already fully immersed in the first. In the middle of this total period, Matxin, runner and rest of staff from the UAE will speak to assess sensations, data… “He is young, he has to be patient. This is a mentally mature runner, so we don’t have to be holding him back excessively. He knows that it is for his own good ”, Matxin said that he does not set an exact return date for one of his stars: “It’s hard to know yet. but end of april could be. We don’t put pressure on him or tell him an exact race, because it can also be a way of trying to force. It is not our intention. His great challenge this year will be La Vuelta, and that this objective is in the medium-long term also gives Juan himself some peace of mind”.
In 2023, the UAE carry 15 wins, More than anyone. Nine of them are from Pogacar. “Ayuso sees that the team is winning and that he also has that level to add victories. That may be the hardest at the moment, but he will return to a great level. Jan Polanc and Álvaro Hodeg are the other two riders who are not missing to make their debut this year. From a staff of 30, well, it’s not bad, but hopefully everyone will be back in action soon”, adds a Matxin that sets course for Milan-San Remo to be together with Pogacar. For his part, Ayuso has not competed since last Lapin which finished third with a record of precocity.