Vuelta a España director Javier Guillén has known as on UAE Group Emirates to incorporate Juan Ayuso of their line-up for the race, which will get underway in Lisbon on August 17.
Ayuso was not initially slated to trip this 12 months’s Vuelta, and he has not raced since he deserted the Tour de France on stage 13 after testing constructive for COVID-19. Later within the Tour, UAE Group Emirates supervisor Mauro Gianetti reiterated that Ayuso wouldn’t be included of their Vuelta line-up, the place Adam Yates and João Almeida are set to guide.
“As of immediately, we do not have affirmation of Ayuso,” Guillén informed AS. “The riders have their preparations performed and I do not assume it is simple to take away a rider from a workforce to place one other one in.
“Nonetheless, as a Spanish race, I ask the workforce to convey Ayuso. However I ask it with affection, I ask it cordially and I ask it with understanding of the circumstances. Actually, the rider, the race and the nation want Ayuso to be there.”
Ayuso was 5 days in need of his twentieth birthday when he positioned third on the 2022 Vuelta, turning into the second youngest rider ever to complete on the rostrum of a Grand Tour. He positioned fourth general on his return to the race final 12 months, and he received Itzulia Basque Nation earlier this season.
Nonetheless, Ayuso’s abandon on his Tour debut – to not point out obvious tensions with Almeida on the Galibier – has led to hypothesis that he would possibly depart UAE this winter regardless of being below contract till 2028. Ayuso will trip for Spain within the Olympic Video games street race in Paris on Saturday.
Ayuso’s teammate Tadej Pogačar, already winner of the Giro and Tour, has confirmed that he won’t chase an historic Grand Tour treble on the Vuelta, whereas Jonas Vinegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and 2022 winner Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) have additionally dominated themselves out of the Spanish race.
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Defending champion Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) is anticipated to trip the Vuelta after COVID-19 pressured him to overlook the Tour, whereas Guillén expressed hope that three-time champion Primož Roglič (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) can even compete after a crash ended his Tour problem.
“I am assured that Roglič will probably be there,” Guillén stated. “We’re relying on him, but it surely’s clear that he’ll solely come if he is match sufficient to contest the race. We all know that Bora will convey a workforce to help him, as UAE will include critical aspirations to win, with Adam Yates who could be one of many candidates.”
Guillén additionally indicated that Richard Carapaz (EF Training-EasyPost) would line out on the Vuelta, and he expressed hope that Ineos would possibly subject each Carlos Rodríguez and Egan Bernal, although the British workforce has but to verify as a lot.
“I’m optimistic due to how [Rodríguez] completed the Tour and his statements afterwards,” stated Guillén.
“We heard that [Wout] van Aert may come as a result of he was initially going to do the Giro and Vuelta. However we do not have the Visma record but, so we do not know. We additionally assume that Bernal will probably be there, however he hasn’t informed us both. I feel in subsequent week we could have extra stable confirmations than we’ve now.”
Guillén accepted, nevertheless, that Pogačar was unlikely to be swayed from his choice to not trip the Vuelta this 12 months, although the Slovenian hinted strongly throughout the Tour that he would possibly return to the race in 2025. Pogačar positioned third general on his Grand Tour debut on the 2019 Vuelta.
“We imagine that sooner or later he should come and trip,” Guillén stated. “There are only a few within the membership of winners of all three Grand Excursions, clearly, and I suppose he’ll need to win it sooner or later.”
