Ayuso Bounces Back To Win Vuelta Stage Seven

2 weeks ago

Spain's Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) celebrates aft winning shape 7 of nan Vuelta a Espana

Adwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist

Spain's Juan Ayuso claimed triumph connected shape 7 of nan Vuelta a Espana arsenic he bounced backmost from his struggles successful nan Pyrenees a time earlier.

Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was dropped connected nan last climb successful nan first upland shape of this year's title connected Thursday and mislaid important clip successful nan wide classification successful his bid to situation favourite Jonas Vingegaard.

But nan 22-year-old returned to his champion connected Friday's 188km stretch, which started astatine Andorra la Vella and vanished astatine Cerler, to triumph his first individual Vuelta stage.

"After nan Giro, erstwhile I won my first Grand Tour stage, to triumph a shape present successful nan Vuelta, which is my favourite race, it's amazing," said Ayuso.

"The measurement I won nan title especially, I will retrieve ever and I americium ace proud."

Italy's Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) vanished 1 infinitesimal 15 seconds down Ayuso for 2nd spot while Spain's Raul Garcia Pierna (Arkea-B&B Hotels) was third.

Norway's Torstein Traeen (Bahrain Victorious) retained nan reddish jersey aft fighting backmost to decorativeness alongside Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike).

Denmark's Vingegaard, nan two-time Tour de France winner, climbed to 2nd wide but is still 2mins 33secs down Traeen.

Stage victor Ayuso, who was 3rd wide successful 2022 and 4th nan pursuing year, is almost 7 and a half minutes down Traeen.

"It was not an easy time and we didn't want to go," Vingegaard said. "We wanted to still effort to prevention our power a bit, truthful we decided not to do thing today."

Saturday's eighth shape will beryllium on a level 163.5km way from Monzon Templario to Zaragoza.