Ayuso and Jorgenson rebel against internal hierarchies

The victories of UAE and Visma’s supporting riders in Tirreno and Paris-Nice strengthen their internal roles and reinforce the dominance of the two leading teams, even without Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Mar 17, 2025

Matteo Jorgenson

With Vingegaard out of the equation, Jorgenson has proven himself to be one of the most complete riders in the world. He climbs well, has the explosiveness needed for a race with constant short climbs like Paris-Nice, handles the cold, rides strongly on the flat and is excellent at positioning. This has paid off in secondary battles, such as intermediate sprint bonuses and, most importantly, the crosswinds we've seen in the race.

The final stage, in my view, defines him best. Isolated nearly 50 kilometres from the finish, he managed to control the group without exposing himself more than necessary, before launching an attack when the race situation demanded it. He didn’t took the stage win, but he is an outstanding rider.

Matteo Jorgenson in Paris-Nice last stage | @AFP

He claims his second consecutive Paris-Nice, winning at home, and reinforces the idea that he is well above riders like Simon Yates or Kuss, as he already hinted last year. His form also suggests that a different tactical approach was needed in the Opening Weekend.

Paris-Nice has been, more than ever, La Course au Soleil. Only in Nice, on the final day, they finally find the sun that had eluded them all week. Cold, rain, hail, snow, and at times, roads turned into ice rinks.
A crash forced Vingegaard to abandon the race. It happened during stage 5, where he was seen with a heavy hit to his mouth and his left hand, which, according to him, barely allowed him to use the brakes. That was the defining moment of the race, with Jorgenson leading the group while the Danish rider struggled on the final climb to La Côte-Saint-André.

In theory, the Dane is set to race in the Volta a Catalunya, which starts next Monday (24th). The recovery from his crash, with no fractures, will determine his return. I don't think he'll take any risks or rush back if he's not in perfect condition.

The same old story

The bad weather led to the temporary suspension of stage 4, creating yet another moment of chaos in cycling with the usual common denominator: a lack of information. Absurd scenes in 2025: riders asking motorbikes for updates, some changing clothes, others sitting in team cars, some attacking, others standing still under the rain, and a few on the ground. And let’s not even mention the TV audience, completely clueless about when the race would resume.

Four reactions stood out: Oliver Naesen, representativ of the riders, revealed that some teams wanted the stage cancelled; Vingegaard argued the race shouldn't have restarted after the neutralisation; young Iván Romeo insisted that if some riders weren’t in position when the race resumed, it wasn’t his problem; and, of course, the controversial words of João Almeida: "Cycling is not for softies."

Iván Romeo (Movistar) complains about the lack of coordination in the race restart, while Lampaert (Soudal) urges him to stay calmed.

I understand teams' reluctance to broadcast what happens inside the race, but it's unacceptable that there's no live communication from the commissaire president when these decisions are made, just like a referee reviewing a crucial play in any other sport. Cycling…

Joao Almeida and UAE

João Almeida is one of the biggest losers of Paris-Nice. To clarify, the Portuguese rider finished the race while ill, as confirmed by the team, and also lost Brandon McNulty on the final day when he was sitting seventh in the GC.

Regardless, Almeida had a great opportunity to take leadership in races without Pogačar and, to some extent, he did. He won stage 4, beating Vingegaard in an explosive finish, just as he had done in the Algarve, showing clear progress in this type of finishes. However, UAE once again showed weakness in two key areas:

Positioning. This has always been one of Almeida's weaknesses, and it cost them dearly when Visma, with INEOS's help, forced a split, dropping them almost two minutes behind in stage 6.
TTs. UAE dominated TTs in 2024 with nearly 20 wins in the discipline, including the traditional Paris-Nice TTT, but 2025 is a different story. They struggled against Lidl-Trek in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana TTT, lost the Algarve GC in the final TT despite having a favourable position with Almeida and Christen, and in Paris-Nice, they finished 8th in the TTT, 41 seconds behind Visma. This is the best squad in the world, but their time trial performance is a real concern.

So far, Almeida has had leadership in three races:

Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (2nd GC)
Algarve (2nd GC)
Paris-Nice (6th GC, ill in the final days)

UAE's internal competition is brutal, and every race is a chance to prove your hierarchy within the team. There are positives, as he has beaten Vingegaard twice in mountain finishes, but not winning a single GC contrasts sharply with Juan Ayuso's efficiency, his biggest internal rival for the role of UAE's second-in-command.

Juan Ayuso

Juan Ayuso was the top favorite to win Tirreno-Adriatico, and he did not disappoint. His strong opening time trial, where only Pippo Ganna could beat him, put him in an ideal GC position. But he didn't just defend, he attacked, again and again, until he soloed to victory in the only summit finish of the race at Frontignano (stage 6).

Ayuso's career has always been driven by ambition.

He moved from the junior ranks straight to UAE after a short spell at Colpack, and from the start he showed himself to be both a born winner and an inconsistent rider. He finished on the podium in the 2022 Vuelta a España at just 19 years old, but since then, he's alternated between flashes of brilliance and periods out due to injury or irregular form.

Now, at 22, he heads into what should be his breakthrough season in the best shape of his career. Trofeo Laigueglia, Faun Drome Classic after a solo attack from 40km out, and the GC victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, along with a stage win, his second major stage race title after Itzulia 2024, although in a very different context.

At UAE's media day in December 2024, both Ayuso and Matxín stated that his main goal for 2025 was to win the Giro. This surprised me, given that Adam Yates was also set to ride as a co-leader, but it made me think of two things: Ayuso's self-confidence is immense, and Matxín's belief in him is just as strong.

At that press conference, Ayuso explained that he sees himself as a climber, despite the fact that his best results have come in time trials (wins in Tirreno, Tour de Suisse, Romandie, Luxembourg). That day, he mentioned that he was starting the season more gradually than in previous years but that he would train harder and with more intensity as winter progressed.

I asked him about his relationship with Joao Almeida following their well-known clash on the Galibier ascent in the 2024 Tour de France. "Professional," he said.

He explained that after what had happened and the rumours in the press, he sat down with Pogačar to clear things up, but that had not been the case with Almeida. The team has since made an effort to keep them apart in races, as their previous encounters have been disastrous. Not just on the Galibier.

Who could forget the Angliru in the 2024 Vuelta, when Almeida (9th in GC) dropped Ayuso (5th) on the steepest slopes and rode ahead? Staying on a wheel in La Cueña les Cabres doesn’t help much with 23% gradients, but it was a clear sign of their poor relationship.

Team hierarchy at UAE is crucial, and with this victory and his outstanding form, while Almeida struggles to capitalise on his opportunities, Ayuso is staking his claim as the second man behind Pogacar.

The team had already made that decision, either due to his incompatibility with Almeida, his synergy with Pogacar, or simply their faith in Ayuso’s potential. While Ayuso will fight to win the Giro, Almeida will support Pogacar in the Tour and possibly the Vuelta.

UCI points comparison between Ayuso, Almeida, and Yates (who raced for INEOS in 2022) from 2022 until today, Monday 17th March 2025:

Comparison of the race calendars of the team's main riders since they have all been at UAE (2023–present):

Number of race days each rider coincided with another in 2023:

Pogačar & Ayuso: 1 day
Pogačar & Yates: 24 days
Pogačar & Almeida: 0 days
Ayuso & Yates: 7 days
Ayuso & Almeida: 21 days
Yates & Almeida: 14 days
All four together: 0 days

Number of race days each rider coincided with another in 2024:

Pogačar & Ayuso: 15 days
Pogačar & Yates: 23 days
Pogačar & Almeida: 29 days
Ayuso & Yates: 19 days
Ayuso & Almeida: 15 days
Yates & Almeida: 36 days
All four together: 13 days (Tour de France until Ayuso’s abandon)

Here are the expected race overlaps for the 2025 season:

Pogačar & Ayuso: None
Pogačar & Yates: Tour de France
Pogačar & Almeida: Tour de France, possibly La Vuelta
Ayuso & Yates: Tirreno, Volta a Catalunya, Giro d'Italia
Ayuso & Almeida: None
Yates & Almeida: Tour de France
All four together: None

The conclusions are clear. Pogacar seemed more comfortable with Yates and his usual domestiques (Majka, Bjerg, Novak) until 2024. That year, the team mixed its four top riders much more frequently, eventually bringing them all together for the Tour de France. The outcome is well known, as are the consequences. They will all return to the Tour… except Ayuso.

Ayuso’s future in the team will be shaped by his results (and Pogacar’s) but it’s obvious that if his progression continues, a major problem will arise. Ayuso is not a rider who settles for less… and he shares a team with the best cyclist in decades.

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