"Ayuso now knows his strategy too," Spain shouts, but UAE also refers to crash after Giro blow from Roglic

“No surprise,” they write in Spain, but the 16 seconds that Juan Ayuso lost to Primoz Roglic in the second stage of the Giro d’Italia are causing quite a buzz. The 22-year-old Spaniard from UAE Team Emirates-XRG proved himself to be the best GC rider after Roglic, but if he wants to win the Giro, Ayuso must devise a strategy.

“Ayuso already knows the best strategy to win the Giro,” headlines Marca meaningfully. What exactly does that mean? Well, this: “The time trial confirmed Roglic’s solidity; it was the blow we were all waiting for. The differences are minimal, but this result sends a clear message to the other riders about the fitness and motivation of Roglic, one of the best riders in the peloton. Ayuso now knows his strategy, too.”

That strategy is: don’t wait, attack. “It’s strange to say, but if Ayuso wants to win the Giro, it’s not enough to do what he did in the Tour of Catalonia. In that race, it was a sprint between the two every day, but Ayuso now has to go on the offensive and look for alternatives. He has to prevent the second time trial in this Giro from being decisive because that’s where the Red Bull leader really has the upper hand.”

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Juan Ayuso

Ayuso was still suffering from a crash

In a press release after the time trial, UAE Team Emirates-XRG focused solely on Jay Vine‘s third place in the day’s results, although sports director Joxean Matxin did give a brief response to Eurosport. The Spaniard said that Ayuso was definitely a little slower due to a crash on day 1. “We expected Juan to be a little better, but he wasn’t feeling perfect after yesterday’s crash and the energy he wasted in the final.”

“It was a good time trial, but not exceptional,” concluded Matxin, who emphasized that Adam Yates still has a role to play as second leader alongside Ayuso. They have something to say about that in Spain. “The time trial showed no other leader at his level. Only Vine and Brandon McNulty rode better as true time trial specialists, but they are not the best options for the GC. Adam Yates lost 37 seconds.”

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Should Ayuso claim leader’s role in the Giro?

Isaac Del Toro, who is 1 second behind Ayuso, is overlooked in these statements, but we will forgive the Spaniards for that. Ayuso should bang his fist on the table to ensure that ‘the same mistakes of the past are not repeated.’ This refers to the grand tours in which Tadej Pogacar did not start. UAE never played a role in the final victory. “It’s no surprise that Roglic is now in the lead. He is one of the big six in cycling and is automatically the favorite. It’s hard to imagine him losing, so now we’ll see who the brave guy is who dares to challenge him.”

“Ayuso now knows his strategy too,” Spain shouts, but UAE also refers to crash after Giro blow from Roglic