Ayuso storms to special victory in Romandie

Juan Ayuso returned to racing and did it in the best way possible, winning the third stage of the Tour de Romandie and his first World Tour stage with a perfect time trial performance.

The stage saw riders individually race against the clock along 18.7km with the start and finish in Châtel-Saint-Denis.

UAE Team Emirates was a major protagonist on the stage with several riders occupying the top positions both in the first intermediate and in the final top 10. Mikkel Bjerg finished today’s race in seventh position and Adam Yates in third.

Following the advice of his teammates who had faced the time trial before him, Juan Ayuso passed the first intermediate with the third-best time, unleashing his power in the second part of the race until the finish line where he stopped the clock at 25’15”.

Ayuso: “I am in disbelief but obviously happy. It is my first victory in a World Tour race and in a time trial, and when I realized I had won, it was fantastic. I was only able to train for three weeks and half, so tomorrow will be a decisive test to see my condition. In case I can’t give my best, we still have Adam who did a great job and is in a good position in the General Classification, and we can count on him. Surely I will give my best tomorrow to continue wearing this yellow jersey.”

Thanks to the seconds gained, the Spaniard now leads the General Classification with an 18″ advantage over Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) and 19″ over Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma), awaiting the penultimate stage scheduled for tomorrow, the only one suited for climbers, which will take riders up to 2090 meters in Thyon 2000 after 161.6 km starting from Sion.

Stage 3 Tour de Romandie classification:
1. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) 25’15”
2. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) +5″
3. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) +17″
7. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) +24″

General Classification Tour de Romandie after stage 3:
1. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) 8h33’40”
2. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) +18″
3. Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) +30″
5. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) +30″
7. Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) +34″