'It hurts quite a lot' - Ayuso in yellow despite frustration at Paris-Nice TTT defeat

There were shades of last month’s Volta ao Algarve about both the result and Ayuso’s reaction. Ayuso produced an extraordinary time trial in Portugal, but he confessed to frustration at missing out on stage victory to Filippo Ganna.

On Tuesday, Ayuso was denied stage victory by Ganna’s Ineos companions, with Kévin Vauquelin leading them home two seconds quicker than Ayuso in a team time trial where the timing at the finish was once again à la niçoise and taken individually.

“I think the feeling is a bit more of disappointment at missing out on the stage win than happiness at being in yellow,” Ayuso said when he took a seat at the post-stage press conference. “The team did a really good job today. We worked really well. We were really committed and motivated to try and get the win. 

“We thought we had a good chance, so when you lose by such a small margin, by two seconds, then it hurts quite a lot. I think that all my teammates deserved to be on the podium today, so I think that podium is a bit more important than the yellow jersey one.” 

Lidl-Trek managed their resources well in the 23.5km test, essentially providing a lead-out for Ayuso into the final kilometre. They were 12 seconds down on Ineos at the intermediate check, but Ayuso’s solo closing effort meant that they were just two seconds behind the British squad at the finish.

“It’s bike racing and there was just a stronger team out there, so congrats to them,” Ayuso said. “In the end, I think we did a really good job. We worked hard in the winter before coming to this race, and we also trained quite a lot together for days like today. I think we had really good chemistry. We really knew how to pace every moment in the course, especially on the climbs, and then I think we did the last part really well. The team did a really good lead out for me. It hurts to lose by so little because the team deserved to win. But there are still a few stages ahead to try and get that win.”

Above all, Ayuso will hope he can land final overall victory in Nice to go with his triumph in the Algarve. After nabbing four bonus seconds on stage 2, he has taken another step towards final victory with this showing, which saw him pick up 13 seconds on chief rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). The Dane is now seventh overall, 17 seconds behind Ayuso.

“It’s a nice margin but especially in this race, which is quite nervous, you always would like a bit more,” said Ayuso. 

“Seeing the stages we have, especially tomorrow with bad weather, crosswinds and the hard final, then everything could change. But obviously it’s better to be 17 seconds in front than 17 seconds behind…”

Ayuso has made an assured start to life at Lidl-Trek after his fractious departure from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and he will lead his new team at the Tour de France in July. Paris-Nice is a key test site in that regard. The impending duel with Vingegaard will reveal more about his July prospects, starting with Wednesday’s uphill finish at Uchon.

“An explosive and short effort like this one is hard to compare to the long stage that we have tomorrow,” Ayuso said. “For sure it's going to be cold, there’s going to be a bit of everything, so quite a different type of effort, but I think my shape overall is good.”