Ayuso happy to fly under radar at Tour de France / Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT - AFP
-
China deploys record number of ships around Taiwan as pressure grows
-
Yayoi Kusama: Japan's kaleidoscopic, troubled 'polka dot queen'
-
Ruthless Bayern target treble as rivals reboot on Bundesliga return
-
Euro champ Hunt 'on her toes' against world's best in Zurich 100m
-
What experts know so far about Nepal's deadly floods
-
Asian chip firms lifted by Nvidia forecast but broader markets struggle
-
UEFA set to withdraw FIFA boycott threat ahead of Champions League draw
-
Search for missing after Nepal-Tibet floods kill 165
-
Sumo moves to beat Japan summer heat as temperatures rise
-
Qantas says profits slump as fuel costs surge
-
'Be more honest': Markets crave clarity from cryptic Fed chair
-
Lofty bond yields, Bessent's intervention pose challenge to Fed's Warsh
-
Climate change leaves its mark on America's largest reservoir
-
The foreigners missing in Nepal's flash floods
-
CIA director warned Russia not to attack NATO members: US media
-
Bond yields are surging: Here's why that could spell trouble
-
Search for missing after Nepal-Tibet floods kills at least 160
-
Fed's Cook rejects Trump mortgage fraud claims
-
Meta, US states agree $18 bn settlement in landmark teen safety case
-
Police probe 'assault allegations' after Carse's nightclub incident
-
What scientists know so far about Nepal's deadly floods
-
How we might hear new Dolly Parton music in the future
-
US general visits Colombia to discuss war on drugs
-
Nvidia doubles revenue, forecasts even more AI spending
-
Meta settlement puts social media industry on notice: 'There will be more'
-
Canada renews push to boycott US products
-
NFL owners approve record Seahawks sale
-
Savio scores on debut as Spurs set-up League Cup tie with Liverpool
-
Nigerian armed groups net nearly $6 mn in ransoms: study
-
Brazil sues Discord over child safety measures, demands $100 mln in damages
-
Savio scores on debut as Spurs advance in League Cup
-
Alberta NDP Urges Smith to Postpone Separation Vote Amid Trade War
-
Mbappe hits treble as Real Madrid thrash Real Sociedad
-
Fenerbahce stun Lyon in Champions League as AEK crush Levski
-
At Dollywood, superfans honor the late singer and local hero
-
Why Global Finance Still Relies on Wall Street Despite Diversification Trends
-
Stocks mixed as oil drops, US inflation stays high
-
Bethlehem Father Seeks Aid for Special Needs Children Amid Health Crisis
-
Bolivia's Paz appoints new economy minister amid bailout talks
-
LIV Golf to lay off majority of staff
-
US designates UK-based Palestine Action as foreign 'terrorist group'
-
How narwhal 'scientists' track Arctic warming
-
'Rocky Horror Picture Show' star Tim Curry dead at 80
-
Iran says US sanctions will achieve nothing
-
American Moll wins women's pole vault at Zurich city event
-
Essential Dolly: five key Parton songs
-
As Canada takes on US tariffs, what's behind the David and Goliath fight?
-
Veteran promoter Warren says it's Joshua's job to agree Fury fight
-
UEFA 'likely' to drop threat to boycott FIFA tournaments: source
-
Ex-champ Wawrinka gets last-minute wildcard to US Open
Ayuso happy to fly under radar at Tour de France
Spanish climber Juan Ayuso said on Friday that he is happy to shun the limelight as he begins his quest for a Tour de France podium finish.
Most attention at the Tour will be on champion Tadej Pogacar, his main rival Jonas Vingegaard, and French teenage prodigy Paul Seixas, as well as Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.
Only four years ago Ayuso was himself a teenage sensation, finishing third at the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, matching Pogacar's Grand Tour debut in Spain as a 20-year-old in 2019.
Since then, Ayuso's star has not shone as brightly as many expected it to.
His results have been inconsistent -- which is hardly surprising for a young rider.
Still only 23, he has won prestigious week-long stage races such as the Tour of the Basque Country in 2024 and Tirreno-Adriatico last year.
But after backing up his Vuelta debut with a fourth-placed finish the following year in Spain, he has failed to deliver in Grand Tours.
The Lidl-Trek team leader was notable by his absence during the press conference for Tour favourites held by organisers on Thursday.
"I do like that they have more exposure, more pressure than me, and then I can do a bit more of my own thing," Ayuso told reporters on Friday.
"But I don't really think about it. I just try to focus on myself."
He will be riding the Tour for the second time, having been forced out early in 2024 after testing positive for Covid.
He started this season in fine form, edging Seixas to win the Tour of the Asturias, but illness and injury hampered him until he bounced back last month with a third-placed finish at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.
With Pogacar and Vingegaard expected to continue hogging the top two steps of the Tour podium -- as they have done for the last five years -- Ayuso hopes to battle the likes of Seixas, Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro and Florian Lipowitz for a top three finish.
Ayuso is expecting Seixas to light up the race.
"I think he's a true racer. He's not scared to go on to attack," Ayuso said of the French 19-year-old.
"I don't think he's going to wait and see; if he has legs, he's going to try it, and we have to be there."
O.Norris--AMWN
