Ayuso seeks to match Abraham Olano's historic double

The virtuous child takes center stage in the Spanish Cycling Championship that takes place from this Friday to Sunday in the Madrid towns of Sevilla la Nueva (chrono) and El Escorial (route). Juan Ayuso (20 years old), winner of the last time trials of the Tour de Romandie and Switzerland, is the great favorite for the 32-kilometre timed exercise on Friday (11:30 a.m.). His main opponents are Raúl García Pierna (defends title), Oier Lazkano, Iván Romeo, Mikel Azparren, Gorka Izagirre and Jonatahn Castroviejo.

Juan Ayuso also aspires to achieve gold in the online test on Sunday (12:00 noon), which begins and ends in El Escorial, with 186 kilometers and a double ascent to Alto de la Cruz Verde. The champion of this test in 2022 was Carlos Rodríguez. In this test, the last one before the starting flag of the Tour de France, Iván García Cortina, Carlos Verona and Alex Aranburu, among others, will also participate.

Ayuso, with three victories, is the best Spaniard of the season, and now he is chasing a double win in the same year, a feat that only Abraham Olano has achieved in the history of Spanish cycling. The versatile Basque runner won the time trial and the route of the 1994 edition.

Ayuso's performance, after overcoming an Achilles tendon injury, is surprising. Many fans have demanded that their presence in the next Tour de France become effective, something that the UAE team leadership rules out. “The planning has not changed. His objective is the Tour of Spain ”, warns a director of the formation led by Tadej Pogacar.

If Ayuso is the great male reference of the championship, Mavi García is the female star. The Balearic cyclist will pursue her fifth national time trial title (Friday, 9:30 am) and will also fight for gold in the online event (Saturday, 11:30 am). Her main rivals will be Sandra Alonso, Sheyla Guitérrez and Sara Martín.