UAE Team Emirates

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) is a highly-touted climber who looks set to be a general classification contender for many years to come.

Ayuso is Spanish but his upbringing saw him grow up predominantly in the United States, before returning to Spain where Ayuso was able to continue his cycling development in Europe. In Spain, Ayuso quickly gained recognition and by his final junior season he was seen as the next Spanish hope for Grand Tour victories. As a U23, Ayuso only added fuel to that fire with a dominating performance at the Baby Giro.

In 2022, Ayuso started his World Tour career at UAE Team Emirates and immediately made the impression that the Spanish public expected. Top five GC results at the Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Romandie showed his class before finishing on the podium at the Vuelta a España in his debut Grand Tour.

After an achilles injury hampered his early season racing, Ayuso returned to form with two stage wins and a second overall at the Tour de Suisse. He will be hoping to continue to build his form for his return to the Vuelta this fall.

Juan Ayuso

Tech

Pro Bikes

Vuelta a España pro bike: Juan Ayuso’s Colnago V4Rs

The UAE Team Emirates issued Colnago V4Rs that Juan Ayuso is riding at this year's Vuelta a España

Specced with ENVE wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace, the Colnago V4Rs is ready for any terrain at the Vuelta a España

Juan Ayuso's do-it-all Colnago V4Rs for the Vuelta a España

, becoming the second-youngest rider to podium at a Grand Tour at the tender age of 19, five days short of his 20th birthday.

This year, he’s returning to his home Grand Tour where he’ll co-lead 

 alongside João Almeida, aiming to replicate or even better last year’s result. He’ll be doing it atop 

Like many modern brands, Colnago has taken the one-bike-rules-all route, shunning a pure lightweight or aero bike for something that covers both bases. The V4Rs is designed for any terrain, whether it’s the viciously steep mountains that the Vuelta is famous for, or crosswind-battered flat roads.

To conquer all terrains, the V4Rs needs to be both lightweight and aerodynamic, something it achieves in equal measure. By our trusty calculations, Ayuso’s bike weighs a tad over 7.3kg. That’s above the UCI’s weight limit of 6.8kg but it could easily be cut for the mountains with some different component choices.

 SES 4.5 wheelset to the shallowest wheels in the SES lineup, the 2.3s, would save over 200g alone. In between those two, there are also the 3.4s which clock in over 50g lighter. The first road stage of the Vuelta, stage 2, didn't feature any long climbs so mid-range rims like the 4.5s were optimal on a day like that. Stage 3 heralds the early entry to Pyrenees mountains, though, at which point we’d expect to see some shallower rims and the bike’s weight to tip below 7kg.

The same can be said for the 54/40t Carbon-Ti chainset, which is on the larger size for climbing and may be swapped for something more compact when the Pyrenees hone into view. It’s paired with a 

 11-34 cassette, Dura-Ace shifters and derailleurs, plus a Shimano power meter.

Beyond being lightweight, Colnago says the V4Rs is more aero than ever, saving 13.2 watts over the V3Rs when riding at 50kph with one bottle and an empty bottle cage. Those savings come from a refined head tube and new CC.01 cockpit. Ayuso and UAE Team Emirates don’t use the latter due to their partnership with ENVE, whose integrated bar and stem adorns Ayuso’s bike. This will undoubtedly affect some of Colnago’s aero data, but by how much and in which direction is unknown. The set-up is made more aerodynamic by the angle of the shifters which, as is becoming common, are pointing inwards.

Finishing kit on the bike includes 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT tyres, a Prologo Scratch M5 saddle, 

To see Juan Ayuso's Colnago V4Rs in action, tune into live and on-demand coverage of the Vuelta a España on 

. Territory restrictions apply. Plus, head over to our 

 for all you need to know about the race, including previews, news and results.

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Date	Event	Discipline	Classification
6/29/2024	Tour de France	Road	2.UWT
8/3/2024	Olympic Games RR	Road	WCRR
9/13/2024	GP Québec	Road	1.UWT
9/15/2024	GP Montreal	Road	1.UWT
9/29/2024	World Championship RR	Road	WCRR

Juan Ayuso

Race Program

Juan Ayuso's Bikes

Vuelta a España pro bike: Juan Ayuso’s Colnago V4Rs

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