Sometimes, a rest day at a Grand Tour is reasonably quiet. It’s a time for everyone to recharge their batteries, to get some washing done, to go for a spin, just get your mind off cycling, really. But then, other times, a rest day is where all the action happens. This was true on the first rest day of this year’s Vuelta a España, when the evening was interrupted by a Juan Ayuso-shaped bombshell.
Another week, another contract row. After the Remco Evenepoel epic, and then the Derek Gee saga, which still hasn’t been resolved, we have the Ayuso rigmarole, which has actually been brought to a conclusion. After months of rumour of things not quite working, Ayuso has been released from his contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG three years early, and is therefore on the market for any available suitors.
