UAE Workforce Emirates picked up a second straight stage win on the Tour de Romandie on Saturday and stored the chief’s jersey inside the group, nevertheless it was not in a single day chief Juan Ayuso who climbed to the stage 4 victory on Thyon 2000.
Whereas Adam Yates soared to the highest of the climb and the highest of the GC standings, Ayuso was working at his personal tempo properly off the again.
A day after successful the stage 3 time trial, his GC bid was over, with a teammate selecting up the slack with aplomb.
Given the yellow jersey he was sporting, Ayuso’s grind up the ultimate climb drew some consideration from the TV cameras, however the 20-year-old Spaniard was not stunned within the aftermath of the chilly day within the Alps. Certainly, he had been clear even after his stage 3 victory that he’s not at his greatest as he continues to construct again from a leg challenge that stored him from racing all season till now.
“No one actually believed me as a result of yesterday I received. However I knew that also I’m not in form,” Ayuso stated after Saturday’s stage. “I come from a really exhausting damage, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be there.
“For me, it was a shock yesterday, however I believe this was no shock. I got here to this race considering I wasn’t even going to push; I used to be simply going to assist the group and attempt to end the race and see how the damage went.”
Ayuso, who made a stirring Grand Tour debut final 12 months along with his podium efficiency on the Vuelta a España, has been coping with leg ache for months. It has not been simple for docs to diagnose the issue, with neuralgia the suspected wrongdoer now. Romandie is his first race of the 12 months, and he appears to have come into the occasion with low expectations.
All issues thought of, then, to come back out of the Tour de Romandie with a WorldTour stage victory is main boon for Ayuso, whereas Saturday’s end – 3:28 down on Yates after dropping 8km from the road – didn’t appear to be any trigger for concern.
“What occurred yesterday is one thing that I’ll take with me perpetually however what occurred at the moment is regular on account of how I arrived [at the race],” Ayuso stated.”
Ayuso identified after his time trial win that he was feeling “worse every day,” so with one stage now left to race, he is beginning to consider recovering.
“After I end this, I’ll have a relaxation as a result of I’m actually pushing and I’m actually drained,” Ayuso stated. “I believe I’ll come again for the Tour de Suisse. If I really feel good, then possibly I’ll do some races earlier than however I believe the subsequent race is Suisse.”
No matter how Ayuso closes out the Tour de Romandie, UAE Workforce Emirates will proceed to attempt to defend the race chief’s jersey, now on the shoulders of Adam Yates, for yet one more day. The 2023 Tour de Romandie concludes on Sunday with a 170.8km stage 5 from Vufflens-la-Ville to Geneva.
