The most talked-about transfer in cycling not named Evenepoel, Ayuso walked out of UAE's shadow — and a very public feud he likened to a 'dictatorship' — to sign a five-year megadeal as Lidl-Trek's undisputed Grand Tour leader. He answered the doubters immediately, winning the Volta ao Algarve in February and podiuming the rebranded Dauphiné in June. Now comes the exam that matters: his first Tour de France, starting in the city where he was born.
Palmarès
- Vuelta a España 3rd overall — second-youngest Grand Tour podium ever (2022)
- Itzulia Basque Country GC winner (2024)
- Tirreno–Adriatico GC winner (2025)
- Giro d'Italia stage 7 winner (2025) and Vuelta a España stage wins (2025)
- Volta ao Algarve GC winner (2026)
- Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Critérium du Dauphiné) 3rd overall (2026)
Cut-out factAyuso was born in Barcelona — the 2026 Grand Départ is literally in his hometown, and the childhood Contador fan makes his Tour debut there.
The squad
Riding the 2026 Tour with Derek Gee-West, Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons, Mattias Skjelmose, Toms Skujiņš, Mathias Vacek, Carlos Verona — see the full Lidl-Trek team page.
Portrait: AI paper-collage render (gpt-image-2).
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