19 year old takes classy win at Spanish classic
Sunday 31 July, 2022
Juan Ayuso opened his professional win tally today with victory at the Circuito de Getxo in Bilbao, Spain.
The Spaniard played his cards well , arriving in a select group of four riders who battled it out on the uphill kick into to Getxo.
Andrea Piccolo (Drone Hopper -Androni) and Wilco Keldermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) rounded out the podium.
George Bennett slso showed his growing form with 8th place from the chasing group.
The win marks the 36th triumph of the season for the Emirati squad and the first for the promising Juan Ayuso.
Ayuso: “I am very happy and almost I can’t believe it. I thank the team that helped me and trusted me. On the penultimate climb I got a puncture and couldn’t chase the two fugitives, but, as soon as I could, I bridged the gap I wanted this victory. In the final I gave everything and I finally managed to get this first victory as a professional. I couldn’t be happier”.
Circuito de Getxo results:
1.Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) 4h38’31”
2.Andrea Piccolo (Drone Hopper -Androni) s.t.
3.Wilco Keldermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) s.t.
At the Tour de Pologne Pascal Ackermann came agonisingly close to victory with 2nd place in the mass sprint final.
Ackermann benefitted from a well timed lead-out from Sebastian Molano but was just outpaced by the fast finishing Gerben Thijssen (Intermarche-Wanty).
After two stages Ackermann sits 4th in the GC standings while UAE Team Emirates lead the team classification.
Ackermann: “I’m happy with the result today. After the injury it is nice to be back to compete with the other sprinters. The team helped me well, but I was unlucky and I lost some positions in the last roundabout, so I decided to go with a long sprint and Thijssen overtook me right at the end. However, I am very happy and ready for the next stages ”.
Tour de Pologne stage 2 Results:
1.Gerben Thijssen (Intermarche-Wanty) 4h47’23”
2.Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.
3.Jonathan Milan (Bahrain-Victorius) s.t.
General Classification after stage 2 Tour de Pologne:
1.Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) 10h05’12”
2.Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) +2”
3.Gerben Thijssen (Intermarche-Wanty) +2”
4.Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) +6”
