Ayuso wins Vuelta wager to avoid racing Tour of Guangxi
Juan Ayuso was initially slated to race in China in October, but despite their very public divorce, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG will spare him the trip after his stage victories on the Vuelta a España.
The Vuelta a España is almost certain to be Juan Ayuso’s final race in UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours, with sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernández confirming that the team will not send the Spaniard to next month’s Tour of Guangxi as had initially been planned.
Ayuso’s departure from UAE Team Emirates-XRG was announced during the Vuelta’s first rest day, and the rider responded to the tone and timing of the announcement by describing the team’s management as a “dictatorship.”
Despite that outburst, Matxin confirmed to Marca on Monday that UAE would not ‘punish’ Ayuso by dispatching him to race in China in October, revealing that the rider had won a wager to avoid travelling to Guangxi thanks to his success on the Vuelta.
“We talked about it a while ago. His schedule included the Tour of Guangxi, and I told him that if he won a stage, the team time trial or the overall [at the Vuelta], he’d be off the hook,” Matxin told Marca. “He’s already won two of the three, so he won’t be going.”
Ayuso’s deal with Matxin echoes that struck by Emmanuel Magnien with his Castorama team ahead of the 1995 Tour de l’Avenir. Victory there meant the Frenchman was allowed to opt out of racing that year’s inaugural Tour of China.
Ayuso will lead the Spanish challenge at the World Championships in Rwanda and he will also ride the European Championships for the national team a week later, but it is not clear if he will line up alongside Tadej Pogacar at Il Lombardia on October 11. The pair have not raced together in the same UAE team since the 2024 Tour de France.
Ayuso has won two stages during a turbulent Vuelta, soloing to victory at Cerler on stage 7 and then outsprinting Javier Romo to win stage 12. The Spaniard’s GC challenge evaporated in Andorra on stage 6, and he later drew criticism for his apparent reluctance to work for João Almeida, currently second overall behind Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
Matxin insisted, however, that Ayuso’s bracing comments after the confirmation of his departure had not changed the atmosphere inside the team.
“Internally, everything’s the same,” Matxin said. “On the bus, in the day to day, in work, nothing has changed. If you have to tease him, you tease him; if you have to ask him to work, you ask him... In fact, Soler helped him win at Los Corrales after those statements. We’ll treat him with the same respect and commitment until December 31, which is when his contract ends.”
Matxin brought Ayuso to the team and was known to be close to the Spaniard, who had signed a contract to keep him at UAE until 2028.
“My relationship with him hasn't changed,” Matxin said. “Obviously, I don’t share his opinions, but one thing has nothing to do with the other. Our paths will diverge on December 31. I wish him the best and hope he doesn’t beat us in any races.”
UAE have won seven stages on this Vuelta, landing the time trial as well as stages from Jay Vine, Ayuso, Marc Soler and Almeida. Their overall running tally for 2025 now stands at 81, but Matxin insisted that their focus for the remainder of the Vuelta was taking the red jersey with Almeida, who is just 48 seconds down on Vingegaard.
“We’ve had the opportunity to score victories in the breakaway, but now it’s time to go for the big one,” Matxin said.
