Mattias Skjelmose reacted with great surprise to the arrival of Juan Ayuso at Lidl-Trek, and now the Spaniard has also commented on it. The Dane recently received the team's trust as a GC contender, but according to him, the transfer of the UAE rider contradicts that promise. Ayuso shows understanding for Skjelmose's statements.
"Lidl-Trek said they believe in me. I don’t know how Ayuso’s arrival fits into that," Skjelmose said in Danish media at the end of September. "They’ve been saying for a few years that they want to build a team around me, but I don’t think they signed him as a domestique."
"I can understand parts of his reaction, because if the team says you are the team leader, then I can understand a certain frustration," Ayuso replies to questions from the Danish website Feltet. On the other hand, the Spaniard understands why Lidl-Trek signed him. "It’s normal for a top team to keep attracting good riders."
"UAE Emirates XRG, Visma | Lease a Bike, and now also Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe all have multiple GC contenders. You can't be a top team with only one rider as leader. I think it’s a natural development for a team like Lidl-Trek, which invests so much and is very ambitious about the project," Ayuso said.
Ayuso also knows that from 2026 on, he will have to race alongside Skjelmose. "I don’t know him personally and will have to wait and see how the cooperation goes, because until now I only know him from racing. That’s always different from knowing someone as a teammate," he explains. "I’m happy to soon be riding for Lidl-Trek, Mads Pedersen and Giulio Ciccone have already welcomed me warmly."
Team manager Kim Andersen of Lidl-Trek also responded to Skjelmose’s remarks: “I told Mattias that this is a natural development for the team. I believe in him and he believes in himself. He is ready to take on the challenge. Other teams also have multiple leaders. It’s up to them to show who is strongest.”
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