'He really knows what he wants' - Verona hails Ayuso's strong leadership at Lidl-Trek ahead of Paris-Nice debut

Juan Ayuso made a perfect start to life with his new team by winning a stage and the GC at the Volta ao Algarve after a tough battle against the likes of Paul Seixas, João Almeida and Oscar Onley.

The Spanish rider has opted to race Tirreno-Adriatico in recent years and has had great success, winning in 2025, but has switched his schedule for his first season with Lidl-Trek. 

He will face stiff competition from the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Onley, but based on his performance in Portugal, he will be confident in his ability to win the yellow jersey in the Race to the Sun.

Speaking to Domestique at the Volta ao Algarve, Ayuso’s teammate Carlos Verona offered his perspective on the early stages of working with his compatriot and an insight into what makes him a strong leader. 

“I think he is super young, but he also has quite a lot of experience. He also has a strong character, and he’s very nice for a leader, because at the end, he really knows what he wants,” explained Verona to Domestique. 

“He asks his teammates for what he wants and also the team, and I think that when you are a leader, you need to be like this because at the end of the day, I think it’s good for everyone.”

The second and fifth stages, the two key mountain tests, highlighted how the team have already bought into the mentality of supporting Ayuso to the maximum, and how the Spanish rider has commanded the respect of his teammates, including Verona, who gave everything they could to ensure the yellow jersey stayed with the team.

“For example, the Foia [stage 2], we all knew exactly what we had to do, and then I think you could see on the television that everything went to plan,” said Verona. 

“We all know this is a long-term project, so we are building for sure, and hopefully we keep making steps in the right way, like here,” he added. “The important thing is to always keep growing, improving, and hopefully we can see the best version of Juan in our time, in the near future.”

Ayuso’s arrival highlights Lidl-Trek’s ever-increasing ambition as a team, and fellow new signing Derek Gee-West stated when he arrived that the German team are “Operating very close to cycling’s gold standard.”

Ultimately, Verona pulled no punches when it came down to explaining the ultimate goal of the team, and that is to become the gold standard of the sport. 

“I think the goal of the team is clear. We want to be number one,” said Verona. “We will take some time because until now, UAE and [Tadej] Pogačar have been really dominant, but like everything in any sport, nothing is permanent, everything is changing, and everything is challenging.”

The former Giro stage winner highlighted how the team have focused on trying to level up in all departments, beyond just the riders themselves.

“I think the team is really working in the right direction. I think starting from the staff, I think on the management side, we have grown a lot, and we have many more coaches, nutritionists, masseuses, and chefs, and they all make our lives much easier,” explained Verona. 

Whilst the team has plenty of experienced professionals, such as Verona himself, a rider who has started 17 Grand Tours, there is an emphasis on providing a pathway for youth, also. Verona believes that the team have a strong mixture of youth and experience. 

And at the same time, I think with the riders, we have really strong young riders. I think [Juan] Ayuso is a big leader, but also, for example, here we have Héctor Álvarez from our development team,” said Verona. 

“I think we have a nice mix, because we have some older riders like me, and I think we have a very nice combination of youth and experience that will be important for the future of the team. We will try to be the number one team sooner rather than later.”

Whilst Verona will not be present to support Ayuso in France, the Spanish rider will line up alongside Julien Bernard, Lennard Kämna, Søren Kragh Andersen, Toms Skujiņš, Jakob Söderqvist and Mathias Vacek.