Juan Ayuso returns to training with new target on horizon

The 23-year-old was forced to abandon Paris-Nice on stage 4 after a heavy fall in torrential rain on the road to Uchon. At the time, Ayuso was leading the race overall and had looked one of the strongest riders in the field. He initially tried to continue, briefly remounting his bike, but the pain quickly became too much.

“It was really bad and if a rider jumps on the bike within 10 seconds, tries and has to go off again, then you know it’s not good,” Lidl-Trek directeur sportif Steven de Jongh told Daniel Benson after the crash. “When we were with him, he couldn’t stand up so we just hoped there were no fractures.”

Ayuso was taken to hospital for further checks, and Lidl-Trek later confirmed that he had avoided any fractures. Despite that positive update, there was immediate caution around his return. “We’re going to do medical exams and then have an update. It’s too soon to talk about next races,” De Jongh explained.

That uncertainty has now begun to clear. After several days of rest, Ayuso was back on the bike on Monday according to AS, gradually resuming training as he looks to regain rhythm without aggravating the injury.

Before the crash, Ayuso had been in outstanding form. He opened his campaign by winning the Volta ao Algarve on debut for Lidl-Trek and carried that momentum into Paris-Nice, where he took the yellow jersey after the team time trial.

Jonas Vingegaard would go on to win the race by more than four minutes, the largest margin in decades, but Ayuso had been shaping as his closest rival. De Jongh described the moment as particularly painful given the circumstances. “He was really feeling good during the day as well. He said he actually felt really good and that was really devastating for him.”

Attention now turns to Itzulia Basque Country, which begins on April 6. Ayuso already has a strong connection with the race after winning it in 2024. Beyond that, his schedule is expected to include the Ardennes Classics and the Critérium du Dauphiné, forming part of his build up towards the Tour de France, where he is set to lead Lidl-Trek.