Ayuso Cracks On Alpe d’Huez And Falls To Seventh Overall

Juan Ayuso suffered his most difficult day of the final week on Alpe d’Huez. The Spanish rider finished stage 19 in 17th place, 6:26 behind Tadej Pogačar, after losing contact with the main favourites and reaching the summit visibly exhausted.

The time loss had an immediate effect on the general classification. Ayuso fell from fifth to seventh and now trails the yellow jersey by 15:58. Lenny Martinez moved ahead of him into fifth, while his Lidl-Trek teammate Mattias Skjelmose climbed to sixth.

Ayuso is now 2:58 behind Martinez and 2:49 behind Skjelmose. More significantly, the podium is 6:16 away, with Isaac del Toro holding third place. Barring an extraordinary turnaround, the Spaniard’s realistic battle has shifted from the podium to improving or at least protecting his position in the top ten.

The result also changes the internal picture at Lidl-Trek. Skjelmose is now the team’s best-placed rider, although the final mountain stage is so demanding that no hierarchy can be considered completely fixed. Decisions will depend on how both riders respond to the first climbs and whether dangerous rivals enter the breakaway.

Ayuso has one last opportunity on the 170.9-kilometre stage ending again at Alpe d’Huez. With 5,450 metres of climbing and four major passes, gaps can open anywhere. Recovering almost three minutes will be difficult, but the Spaniard can still attack, enter a strong break or use the extreme route to leave a better final impression.