'I expected more from him' - Lidl's Mathias Vacek questions Juan Ayuso's 2026 season

Juan Ayuso arrived at Lidl-Trek with high expectations, but teammate Mathias Vacek admits he was left wanting more from the Spaniard in 2026.

"To be honest, I expected more from him," Vacek told Spanish newspaper Marca at the Singapore Criterium. "He started well by winning the Algarve and it looked promising, but throughout the season I had the feeling that something was missing."

"He was good, but not at the top level we had become used to seeing from him."

Vacek pointed to Ayuso's difficulties during a training camp in Sierra Nevada, where the Spaniard struggled with allergies before returning home to Andorra.

"You could tell something wasn't right. I don't know whether it was mental or something else. I don't want to make claims about something I don't know, but that was my impression."

Vacek felt Ayuso arrived at the Tour de France already exhausted, while teammate Mattias Skjelmose was in better shape. Skjelmose eventually finished sixth overall, with Ayuso seventh.

"When we signed him, I expected him to perform as he had in previous years," Vacek said.

"When he's on a good run, he's capable of following Pogacar and the very best. But with riders like him, a mental lapse or even the smallest missing detail can make them lose confidence and become unsettled."

Vacek also spoke about his relationship with Mads Pedersen, who has already discussed the possibility of retiring around the 2029 World Championships in Copenhagen.

"I've had several conversations alone with Mads. He's a very honest person who tells you exactly what he thinks," Vacek said.

"He's told me clearly that I'm one of the riders who will take over when he retires. That will be the turning point when everything changes, and I want to take on the leadership role just as he does now. "

Vacek's 2026 season was not without problems. Despite his strong performances later in the year, he was disappointed with his results in the spring Classics and believes he made a mistake in his preparation by pushing too hard too soon.

"I started training quite early, and in Spain, with the good weather, you can get into shape in three or four weeks," said Vacek, who winters in Montril in Andalusia.

"But there was still a month and a half until my big objectives. I think I got carried away and started training too early. By the time the Classics really mattered, I was exhausted."

Vacek took a break from racing and returned to altitude training before the Tour de Suisse, where he finished third overall. 

"Being able to follow Pogacar was something even bigger than a victory for me, because there aren't many riders who can do that," said Vacek, whose contract at Lidl-Trek runs until the end of 2029.