17-year-old junior rider signs five-year deal with UAE Team Emirates
An unusual move has seen the Spaniard sign a long-term deal with the WorldTour squad
A 17-year-old junior rider has signed a rare five-year deal with UAE Team Emirates.
Spaniard Juan Ayuso will be gradually brought into the WorldTour with his new team, spending his first year with a development squad.
Ayuso is the reigning Spanish junior national champion and already has six victories to his name in 2020, despite the very few number of race days this season.
UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez said: “Juan is a rider we have been following for a long time. It’s no secret that we like to work with young talented riders and Juan is the definition of this. He has the right balance between physical talent and having a very good head on his shoulders. Along with Juan and his parents we are thinking more medium to long term.
“The idea is for him to make a gradual transition into the WorldTour team. We are deciding along with Juan and his family where is best for him to spend his first year -whether it be at a Continental or professional level is still to be defined.”
Ayuso joined the UAE-backed team at a training camp last year and has been racing on a Colnago bike given to him by the team in 2020.
With no racing scheduled in the foreseeable future, it is unclear at the moment when Ayuso will race again or which development team he will ride with.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Ayuso said: “At the moment I’m an all-rounder but I think in the future I will head towards being more a climber. My first contact with the team was through Matxin mid-way through last season, then I got to know the team a bit better at their training camp last winter.
“The team is relatively new, and it is taking huge steps to improve each year. I have no doubts that the team will become the best team in the WorldTour in the near future.”
Contracts lasting five years are rare in professional cycling, with most riders signing either one or two-year deal with teams.
>>> Nairo Quintana says Chris Froome was ‘stronger’ but Team Ineos played big role in his victories
A noteworthy exception is Egan Bernal who signed a five-year with Team Ineos in 2018, aged just 21, before he went on to win the Tour de France the following year.
Ayuso said he is currently an all-round rider, but is eager to focus on his climbing ability in the near future.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
Most road cyclists still aren't riding tubeless - are latex or TPU tubes a better alternative?
Although common for gravel and mountain bikes, tubeless has still not fully taken off for road cycling; we examine why
By Paul Norman Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers’ 500th victory was claimed by a woman, why do they still not have a team?
The British squad is one of the richest in cycling - but Ineos still won’t stump up for a women’s team
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I pulled it off and turned everything around' - Brandon McNulty on the ride that changed him
US star grabbed his first ever Grand Tour win at last year’s Giro d’Italia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'We were lucky with the weather': Brandon McNulty admits rain helped UAE Emirates edge Paris-Nice stage three team time trial
American pulled on the yellow jersey after a rain soaked finale to stage three in Auxerre
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
UAE Team Emirates power to team time trial victory on stage three of Paris-Nice
Team take advantage of more clement weather to put Finn Fisher-Black into yellow jersey
By Adam Becket Published
-
'He’s making history': Paris-Nice reacts to Strade Bianche masterclass from Tadej Pogačar
'He can still surprise us all the time’ João Almeida on Pogačar's performance in Tuscany
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘He’s learning fast’: Isaac del Toro, the peloton’s ‘best neo-pro’ triumphant at Tour Down Under
The Mexican has had raced just twice at WorldTour level, and taken his debut victory at the second opportunity
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tadej Pogačar and UAE-Team Emirates angry with motorbike but remain optimistic of taking Tour de France yellow
It's proving almost impossible to separate the two at the top, and a close motorbike on stage 14 didn't help Pogačar's intentions
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard takes yellow at Tour de France: ‘It would be better to have two minutes than 25 seconds’
Reigning champion in yellow jersey but Tadej Pogačar strikes back
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Adam Yates: Going one-two with your twin brother at the Tour de France, not many can say that
Adam beats Simon Yates in Bilbao, but says his brother will be a 'pain in the ass' in the coming weeks
By Adam Becket Published