Juan Ayuso wins second Vuelta a España after announcing his stormy divorce from his team

After a very eventful stage around Bilbao the day before, marked by frozen times following incidents with pro-Palestinian protesters, the Vuelta a España riders hit the road again on Thursday, September 4, for a stage linking Laredo and Los Corrales de Buelna, in Cantabria. Its mid-mountain program seemed promising for climbers and adventurers.

After a rather hectic start to the week with his team, young Spaniard Juan Ayuso won the sprint. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider conquered the Collada de Brenes ( ^Category 1, 7 kilometers at 7.9%) before winning in style ahead of his compatriot Javier Romo (Movistar). "I knew where to start the sprint because I'd competed in quite a few junior races here," said the 22-year-old. A success built on a perfect day for the Emirati team.

The stage was set from the first climb, the Puerto de Alisas: more than forty men took off, including Juan Ayuso and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), a strong delegation of riders from the Movistar team, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), and three French riders—Bruno Armirail (Décathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), and Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ). Marc Soler took the points at the summit, confirming the presence of the UAE team in the breakaway. Behind them, the peloton led by the Visma-Lease a Bike team quickly lost interest in the stage, letting the breakaway slip away, which hardly threatened their red jersey, Jonas Vingegaard.

At the front, the green jersey, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), carried out his mission with precision in a stage whose terrain promised climbers difficulty: victorious in the intermediate sprint at Barros (at kilometer 103.2), the Dane collected 20 points and secured his sprinter's jersey. Movistar, with five men in the breakaway, animated the central part: insistent relays, repeated attacks from Ivan Garcia Cortina, then a collective offensive approaching the Collada de Brenes.

It was there, on the 8% slope, that the race was decided. Marc Soler accelerated and set a strong pace to launch his teammate Juan Ayuso 3.5 kilometers from the summit. The Spaniard took off, and only Javier Romo (Movistar) managed to follow him. Denying his compatriot a few relays with 1 kilometer to go, Juan Ayuso then took the lead in the sprint, securing his second victory in this Vuelta, after Cerler's ( ^7th stage, August 29). "I played a little bit in the final. Sometimes you have to play things more subtly," admitted the winner, having noticed his opponent's nervousness. Frenchman Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ) completed the day's podium, 13 seconds behind.

This success takes on a particular resonance in the heated context surrounding Juan Ayuso. Two days earlier, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team made his departure official at the end of the season, against the tacit agreement concluded according to the rider to wait until the end of the Vuelta to announce it. Faced with the fait accompli, the young rider said he was "upset" , denouncing a "unilateral" decision taken "to harm [his] image" .

He also mentioned internal tensions, fueled by the statements of the Portuguese rider Joao Almeida after the 9th stage. The team leader ( ^2nd in the general classification) had expressed incomprehension and dissatisfaction at the end of this day, which he had finished alone. Since then, the two men have reconciled, but Juan Ayuso has not hidden his bitterness towards his management, referring to a "dictatorship" . In the absence of team unity, his victory still brings UAE a fifth success in this Tour of Spain – two for Juan Ayuso, two for climber Jay Vine, and the team time trial – whose general classification did not change on Thursday. The hierarchy could, however, be shaken up on Friday, with the formidable Angliru (12.4 kilometers at 9.7%) standing in front of the Vuelta a España riders, in Asturias.