Juan Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez, the young Spanish couple who dominated Itzulia 20 days ago after the fall that left out Roglic, Evenepoel and Vingegaard, continue in a state of grace, as they demonstrated on Friday in the rain in the complicated time trial of the Tour of Romandie: 15.5 kilometers divided into five kilometers on a 5% climb, seven kilometers of false flat against the wind, up and down, as above and below the handlebars were the arms and hands of the runners, and towards the brakes, in the final four kilometers of descent as steep as the dangerous hairpin bends and soaked asphalt to the finish line.
Ayuso, who finished fourth, is the new leader of the Swiss race, with 7s over the Belgian Van Wilder, 10s over the Russian Vlasov, 11s over Carlos Rodríguez and 23s over the Frenchman Lenny Martínez. Twelfth is Enric Mas, 41 seconds behind Ayuso. These six are the favorites for the final victory, which will surely be decided on Saturday in the queen stage, with the finish line at the Leysin station, at 1,256 meters, after a 15-kilometer first-class ascent. “I am in a good position to try to defend it tomorrow,” proclaimed Ayuso, recovering the spirit lost 10 days ago when he had to leave the Flecha Wallona freezer with an attack of hypothermia. “These last few days have not helped to recover because it has also been very cold, but there is only a day and a half left (the Tour of Romandie ends on Sunday with a stage without major difficulties) and then I will rest a little. So I hope, yes, that the body lasts another day or so.”
The time trial of an average of 40 kilometers in the first part and 50 in the second was dominated by the North American champion Brandon McNulty, Ayuso’s teammate in the UAE, favored by competing in the test before it started to rain in Oron, between Lausanne and Vevey, north of Lake Léman.
“I think it was a very tough, very tough time trial. Everyone suffered. All my teammates, when they returned to the bus after playing it, told me that it had been very hard. So, yeah, I was psyched. I didn’t have great feelings. I also suffered a lot,” Ayuso told Eurosport while he did a roller, a good wool hat and winter clothes, after the test. The UAE cyclist was one of the few who did not lose time against McNulty in the second part of the time trial, the dangerous descent, a proof of his decision and strength as conclusive as the way in which he kept his hand on the podium for a five kilo cheese with his right hand, and his mastery in the solitary effort that he already exhibited in March by winning the Tirreno time trial ahead of the great specialist Filippo Ganna. “I think I managed to control my effort, know where to push, where to try to recover a little. And then, especially on the way down, it was quite complicated. I think I also bought some time because, yes, I took some risks.”
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