"Juan Ayuso recovers from a general classification setback in the Vuelta a España and triumphs spectacularly with a solo mountain stage victory"
UAE Team Emirates' Juan Ayuso Secures First Home Grand Tour Victory at Vuelta a España
Juan Ayuso, a late call-up for the Vuelta a España 2023, has made a stunning comeback, securing his first-ever win in a home Grand Tour on stage 7. The 21-year-old Peruvian cyclist, under contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has been making waves in the competition, despite his preparation being geared towards successful single-day performances rather than an overall General Classification (GC) battle.
Ayuso's victory on stage 7 was UAE's fourth stage win in succession in the Vuelta. The young cyclist's performance was reminiscent of Remco Evenepoel's comeback in the 2023 Vuelta, where he lost nearly 20 minutes on the stage to the Tourmalet but bounced back with a solo win on the Pyrenean summit finish of Larra Belagua.
The day before, on stage 6 to Andorra's summit finish at Alp, Ayuso lost nearly eight minutes to the overall favorites. However, Ayuso's victory on stage 7 was a response to his below-expectations performance, as he aimed to be the best version of himself.
Ayuso finished off a 160-kilometer breakaway on stage 7 with a solo victory. He fended off a pursuit by Visma-Lease a Bike, working in a 13-rider break, and dropped the rest of the attackers. Ayuso's victory was achieved after a gruelling effort, demonstrating his determination and resilience.
Despite the high position he held in the overall before Thursday's major time loss, Ayuso's high position continued to have an effect on the way he had to race to get his first stage win. The pressure of being viewed as a GC favourite meant that he had to break away alone from the peloton and manage to stay away in order to have a chance at a stage win.
Ayuso's condition at Cerler, where he secured his victory, was a sign that he was back in top shape after a difficult period following his crash out and abandon from the Giro d'Italia, his big goal of the season. Ayuso aims to recover each day as best he can for the Worlds, but he doesn't mind losing time if it means recovering for the Worlds.
Initially, Ayuso refused to comment on why he put his fingers in his ears as a victory salute, but later seemed to confirm that it was a reaction to criticisms about his performance. Ayuso stated that since the Giro, he had never really had a period where he felt he was in really great shape, and that it was inevitable in the kind of cycling they have now, where so much importance is given to data and numbers, you can have some doubts.
Ayuso's goal is to keep going in the direction he is heading, as there are lots of other stages with good opportunities for him, and then after that, there's the Worlds. Ayuso takes things calmly and knows that it's all part of a process, that you have to go through tough times to get to where you want.
The Vuelta a España 2023 continues to be an exciting competition, with Ayuso's unexpected victory on stage 7 adding another layer of intrigue to the race.
