‘Unbelievable’ Juan Ayuso has ‘big and bright future’ after Vuelta podium and should go to Tour, says Adam Blythe

Adam Blythe believes the future is “bright and big” for Juan Ayuso following his third-place finish at La Vuelta – and thinks the 19-year-old must go to the Tour de France next year.

He is the youngest rider to finish in the top three at La Vuelta and second youngest to ever make a podium at a Grand Tour after Henri Cornet, who won the Tour de France in 1904.

Eurosport expert Blythe is excited by Ayuso’s potential and seeing what he can do when surrounded by the ‘A team’ at UAE Team Emirates, including two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar.

“It’s just unbelievable, and he’s going into a team with Joao Almeida, with Tadej Pogacar, with Rafal Majka. If that team goes to the Tour de France that is a proper, proper team.”

“And it’s not just being in that team with those riders, it’s learning how they do things. He was ultimately on his own almost in this race. He had Marc Soler off the front, he had Joao Almeida looking at when to attack him, he had his team-mates behind him, he had [Juan Sebastian] Molano flicking his other team-mate to get the stage win on the last day.

“I think he’ll learn so much from being in the ‘A team’ that the future is so big and bright for him. I just can’t wait to find out what it is.”

Pogacar missed out on a third consecutive Tour de France title earlier this summer as he was beaten by Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard.

Blythe thinks Ayuso could be a great ally for Pogacar as he looks to reclaim his crown next year.

“I think they almost have to take him to the Tour, because if you look at the team that Jumbo-Visma have got, if they want to win the Tour, they need to take their best riders.

“Can you imagine Ayuso and Pogacar in the final with Brandon McNulty and Almeida there? They will be like, ‘right, bring it on boys, let’s see what you’ve got’.

“I really hope they don’t just try and hold him back to say we’re going to let you do the Vuelta to get your own chances. No, let’s bang you in this Tour de France. You can have many years in it. You’re going to learn now and let’s just see how you get on.

“The Tour is the Tour. You would just love to see the sprinters come into the Champs-Elysees all lined up, but it never happens. You want to see all the GC riders racing it up and it never happens. But just the prospect of all those riders on the start line at the Tour de France, when you read down that start list you’re just going to be like ‘this is going to be a good one.’”

UAE Team Emirates clearly believe Ayuso has a bright future as they recently tied him down to a deal until 2028.

Eurosport expert Dan Lloyd is not sure whether the team will decide to send him to the Tour next year or allow him to target the Giro d’Italia or La Vuelta.

“I can almost see that team looking at Jumbo-Visma and saying, ‘Well, I’ll take your two-pronged attack, we’re going to match it and we’re going to raise it with Ayuso, Almeida, Pogacar and anyone else we can find’.

“He’s obviously got improvement – he’s 19, he turns 20 this coming week at some point – but if he has a good winter and if he makes another small, one, two, three percent improvement, that improvement at the Giro d’Italia or the Vuelta next year…

“I can’t imagine they’ll take him to the Tour de France next year but never say never – but if he makes those improvements in the winter months, which is completely conceivable…”

Ayuso said it was “incredible” to finish third on his Grand Tour debut in his home country of Spain.

“I think this confirms me, not to the people, but I’ve proven to myself that I can be a Grand Tour rider and that I can one day win these races. That’s the most important thing.

“The podium in my first Grand Tour at 19 years of age. It’s just incredible.”