SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO – The time to reiterate that on his day of leisure in Ancona he would do nothing but stay in bed and perhaps take a short walk, then Juan Ayuso has left the Tirreno-Adriatico with a satisfied smile. After the success of Frontignano he explained how difficult it is to be a top rider, after the final victory (at the beginning he holds the trophy received from Stefano Allocchio) he instead drew up a first assessment with an eye towards the Tour of Italy.
Juan won, no one seemed able to question his victory, but he did not crush his rivals. The short classification made it necessary to fight for every goal without ever taking anything for granted and thanks to this the race seemed very interesting. To the point of granting a chance for the best Ganna, who remained in the fight for the leader's jersey until the very end.
Before the Tirreno you said there would be room for growth, do you think you've done that this week?
A lot, even mentally, especially with these cold and rainy stages. It hasn't happened to me so often to run in conditions similar. Once last year, always here at the Tirreno (the stage of Gualdo Tadino, won by Bauhaus, ed.). Then I remember a day at Catalunya, with really difficult weather. Here, however, the conditions were challenging every day and I'm sure they will help me improve, especially in view of the GiroBecause there will probably be days like these in May, which I have to get used to.
Your tactic was pretty simple: a great time trial and then a total uphill push. Were you worried it might fail?
Yes, of course. There were some difficult moments, especially because of the cold. After the Colfiorito stage and its 239 kilometers, I thought it couldn't get any worse.. instead the day after, on the way down, it was even colder. Luckily Seeing that others were suffering too helped me overcome the difficult moment. As I said, this is also a learning journey and those were delicate moments that I knew I had to overcome. Instead, Speaking of legs, I've been feeling pretty good all weekI knew I had to stay focused and wait for the mountain stage.
How important was it to be the sole leader of the team and to be so at the Giro d'Italia?
For me it's always about performance and being the best rider I can be. In this team, Every opportunity that arises must be exploited to the fullest, because we have many riders who can try to win. Last year I went to the Tour, but it was different. In the biggest challenge of the season, it had to be work for a teammate and I'm not used to doing itThen I retired due to Covid and that was it. When Tadej, the best in the world, is here, we have to race for him. This year, however, I will also have a big goal and I really like feeling this kind of pressure.
In recent days it has become clear that you have a great relationship with Isaac. Del ToroIt seems like you're good friends, too. Does that help when you're running?
Issac had already helped me a lot in this race last year, but then we didn't see each other much again. This year, except Laigueglia, I always ran with him and he was a great helpI'm grateful to him. We'll be together at the Giro too, and I think we'll support each other. I hope to see him again in the second half of the season, too. I too can help him win.
There will be other rivals at the Giro, the first name that stands out is Roglic. As you prepare for the race, will you be studying your rivals or will you stay focused solely on yourself?
On one side, I think you should focus only on yourself, because you can't control what others do.But you also need to know their strengths and weaknesses so you can adapt and try to beat them. I raced against Roglic in all weather conditions, at the Vuelta and also at the Tour and he always beat me (laughs, ed.) So, from this point of view, the challenge won't be in my favor, but I hope I can face it.
A Spanish newspaper headlined: Ayuso, the Spanish Pogacar. Do you like certain combinations?
On the one hand, it's nice, because it says that I'm similar to the best rider in history. On the other hand, I don't like it.Not because I resent comparison, because they've already called me the new Indurain and the new Contador. I simply prefer not to be compared to anyone, because all these riders were better than me. I would just like to be myself, win the races I have to win and lose the races I have to lose.. Always like Juan Ayuso.
Is it true, as your sports director Guidi said, that last winter you reasoned with the foresight of a true leader?
I focused more on the big picture, on the big goal: the GiroI'm not running much. Now I'll go to Catalunya and then that's it. You might think he has the legs to go to the Basque Country and win, but the Giro rules over everything.So now I have to recover, give my body time to assimilate the efforts and then dedicate myself to another high altitude training camp to sort out the details. It was the winter in which I worked the most, to the point that in January I was already at my ideal weight., which I always reached a couple of months later.
Have you already ridden any stages of the Giro?
The Siena stage, the one on the dirt roads, will be crucial and also dangerous for us general classification riders. Then I saw the Pisa time trial, which is very long and will surely make big differencesI don't think I'll see any more, especially since the mountains are still covered in snow at the moment.
After Frontignano you talked about the great attention to nutrition: is it really that extreme?
Everything must be checked, It is forbidden to take away food, for example, because we cannot know how it is prepared.I think when I finish the Giro, I'll have a stress-free time, eating normal food. But otherwise, it's not that difficult; I'm used to it. It's not just about white rice and eggsThe team's chefs make very good recipes and make everything much less heavy.
Do you feel part of the important group, among those who are looked upon with the most respect?
When you have more legs, everything comes easier. In a group, we all do the same work, we're on the same bike and we try to get the best results possible. Even if they know that you are a very strong rider, nobody gives you anything for free and for this you have to work hard.So in a way it doesn't change much, but if at the end of the climb I have a little more power to make the difference, then things are really different.
