After so much tragedy, great joy. Among the bad news, a good one. After many falls, move on to attacks, strategy and victory. In the midst of all this ugliness, a true beauty. Instead of looking towards ambulances, hospitals and medical reports, this time the news was at the podium. After many long faces, the smile arrived from two boys, one from Alicante and one from Granada, aged 21 and 23, respectively, who confirmed that they are more than ready to take on the greats of cycling. One is Juan Ayuso (UAE), who won big in Itzulia, his first round of one-week stages. The other is Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos), who won the stage and climbed to the second drawer after collaborating with the future winner on the last climb to Eibar.
First and second In the queen stage and the final general. The two great Spanish promises were confirmed as a reality with a memorable performance in the decisive stage. Yes, Vingegaard, Roglic, Evenepoel and even Landa were missing. But the abandonments cannot tarnish the triumph in a day of high cycling in which the Alicante, who was third at the start, destroyed Skjelmose, the 23-year-old leader. Without the stars, there was a race of exciting young people.
The 2024 Curse of Itzulia ended with an extraordinary sixth stage, the Queen, which crowned Juan Ayuso. It was the reconciliation of a race that used to shine along the route and that had gone out, darkened, with so many accidents and bland stages. Both Spaniards are among those who went to the ground, not at the fateful bend of Olaeta, where they had to leave the big favorites, but they did touch the asphalt in the third stage, on Wednesday's day .
Ayuso, supported by a great team tactic with two luxury gregarios such as Arrieta -infiltrated from the start in the breakaway- and Marc Soler - who went to Krabelin, the hardest port of the seven, and became the leader virtual–, turned on the light and illuminated the race.
Twice he attacked the Alicante from the Emirates and twice he dislodged the Dane from Lidl. First in Izua, where Carlos Rodríguez tried to follow him and couldn't. Although in the descent there was regrouping. The final start was in Urkaregi, the last ascent of the day, 16.8 km from the finish line. He stood up, moved watts and left. Then Rodríguez did accompany him.
The two collaborated. Both were interested. One was judging the race. The other, a great descender as he demonstrated in the Tour 2023 on the Joux Plane to win in Morzine, could get on the podium and stay the stage. That of Indurain and Chiapucci but between Spaniards. That's how it was. "With me, Juan knew he had support, that I would help him in whatever way I could. We had common interests that have worked out well", explained Almuñécar.
"How much?", Ayuso asked the motorcycle that accompanied them. He was pointing backwards with his thumb, asking what difference they made to Skjelmose, with whom he had an old score pending since last year's Tour de Suisse. And Ayuso couldn't help but smile when he was informed that it was more than 40 seconds, with less than 5 kilometers to go from Itzulia. I had it in my pocket.
At the finish line, Ayuso received the yellow jersey, the winner's hat, but also his mother and his dog, Trufa. "It's incredible to win for the first time a general in professionals and more in the Basque Country. I couldn't have chosen a better stage", confessed the Alicante, who succeeds Vingegaard on the list of winners, in a race that was once won by Bartali, Anquetil, Ocaña, Contador or Roglic.
Rodríguez was awaited by the 10 second bonus, with which Skjelmose also passed in the classification - by a sigh -, and his first triumph of 2024. "Very happy for the stage. Juan deserves the overall because he was very strong", he congratulated him. Between the two Spaniards, they reconciled cycling with the Itzulia, they blessed a race that was cursed.
