'I was seen as the bad guy in the movie' - Ayuso's long UAE divorce began at 2023 Vuelta

“At every race, when I went back home, I felt like there was no chemistry or relationship,” Ayuso said in a wide-ranging interview with Daniel Benson.

“It was small things after each race, but even as far back as the Vuelta in 2023, I was already thinking that if I had the chance to leave, I would look at it, but each time I even slightly brought it up with the management, the response was always ‘no.’ I felt like leaving was a really far-off possibility, so I tried to make the best of it.”

That feeling exacerbated over time, with Ayuso claiming that he had lost enjoyment during his final two seasons at UAE. “There were many times when I was competing against my teammates, and that’s not a nice feeling,” he said. “It keeps adding up when you’re having to keep looking at what’s happening inside your own team bus rather than outside, with teammates wanting to beat you. It was more of a gradual thing than just something that happened one day.”

Ayuso has been critical of UAE Team Emirates-XRG management – and CEO Mauro Gianetti in particular – since his departure was confirmed, and he downplayed the idea that he had problems with specific teammates.

“From management, it was never clear what the message was or what the role was for the riders,” Ayuso said. “When mistakes were made, they were never treated, and that just took energy away from me; more than the act itself, it was more about how the team management handled the situation.”

UAE offered Ayuso a two-year extension in January, but those negotiations proved to be the beginning of the end. When the Spaniard asked the team to remove the €100 million escape clause from his contract, he claimed he was told it might affect his race programme in future seasons.

“I told them I could extend but only if there was a proportionate release clause if I wanted to leave at a later date,” Ayuso said. “From there, from management it became really aggressive, to the point where I was told that if I didn’t sign the extension that we’d see what calendar I did.

“That was one of the biggest turning points, alongside the sporting side that was a bit drop by drop, and that was the moment when I said ‘okay, it’s enough’. They told me that Abu Dhabi would be angry if I didn’t sign for another two years, meaning an eight-year contract, and that it might have repercussions on the calendar that I would have for 2026.”

Ayuso raced the Vuelta despite his imminent departure from UAE. He won two stages after dropping out of the general classification early on, but he also drew criticism for an apparent reluctance to work for João Almeida in key moments.

“I don’t call it unfair on the people that think that way because everyone can have an opinion, but my image is portrayed in a way that for sure is different to who I really am,” Ayuso said.

“The thing that bothers me the most is that the team, instead of trying to help, at least in these last months, they tried to make more blood and make it look good from their side. I was seen as the bad guy in the movie, so I can’t criticise anyone for their opinions because if that’s the version they have of me, I have no issues.”

Ayuso has since committed to a five-year deal with Lidl-Trek, where he will lead the team’s Grand Tour challenge, and he discussed his reception from his future teammates in the in-depth interview for Daniel Benson's Substack. “I’m super willing to work for others, too,” he said. “I want to show that I’m gonna be the first person out there to help my teammates achieve their goals.”