The decision is now final: Juan Ayuso will make the switch to Lidl-Trek this coming winter. The 23-year-old Spaniard has signed a five-year contract with the American team. It was previously announced that Ayuso and his current team UAE Emirates XRG – despite an ongoing contract – would part ways.
On the first rest day of the Vuelta a España, UAE Emirates XRG announced that Ayuso will no longer ride for the team after this season. The Spaniard and his employer had agreed on this for several months, but the announcement still came as a bolt from the blue for the talented climber.
“I don’t understand why UAE made this statement without warning me,” Ayuso said before the start of the tenth Vuelta stage in an interview with Quique Iglesias, a journalist at Cadena COPE. “They want to damage my image. I was repeatedly treated disrespectfully by the management. It was a dictatorship.” Instead of restoring peace within the team, the news only stirred the fire further.
Lidl-Trek
Now that the Vuelta a España is over, Lidl-Trek has announced that they will be taking Ayuso on from 2026. Since the arrival of main sponsor Lidl, the American WorldTeam has made significant sporting and financial progress but has long been searching for a strong GC contender. With the arrival of the recent overall winner of Tirreno-Adriatico, they hope to have filled that vacancy through to 2030.
“I am extremely excited,” the new team leader of Lidl-Trek said in a press release. “Joining Lidl-Trek marks the beginning of an important new chapter in my career, and I am motivated to continue growing as a rider. Change always brings new energy and ambitions, so I can’t wait to get started.”
“From the outside, you can see the team has built a strong identity, with a lot of unity and ambition. The long-term project they are setting up is something very unique and special. It feels like a place where I can take the next step in my development, surrounded by riders and staff who share the same goals. I want to keep improving in the biggest races.”
photo: Cor Vos[/caption]
“Lidl-Trek has the ambition to become the best team in the world, so I’m really looking forward to contributing to that success. I am very grateful to the team for this opportunity and their trust. I can’t wait to wear the Lidl-Trek jersey!”
Luca Guercilena, the team manager of Lidl-Trek, is also very enthusiastic. “Juan is one of the biggest talents in cycling. He is already one of the best climbers and time trialists in the world. At 23 years old, he still has room to grow, and we are determined to give him all the support he needs to reach his full potential. Juan’s arrival is an important step in our long-term vision, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the coming years.”
Peaks, but also valleys
Ayuso arrived in the professional ranks in 2021 with very impressive credentials and managed to achieve some notable results while riding for UAE Emirates XRG. In his first full professional year, he finished third in the Vuelta a España. A year later, he was fourth in his home tour. His palmarès also include overall victories in the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Catalonia.
However, his collaboration with UAE Emirates was not always smooth. The Spaniard also went through some less successful sporting periods, including withdrawals from the Tour de France (2024) and Giro d’Italia (this year). Behind the scenes, there were also tensions: Ayuso was not always happy with his role in the team and the many internal ‘rivals.’
Juan Ayuso Pesquera| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2030 | |
| 2029 | |
| 2028 | |
| 2027 | |
| 2026 |
