It won't be easy getting on the UAE team bus these days at the Vuelta a Espana. The fragile relationship between the team's stars exploded in the middle of the competition, prompting team management to publicly punish Spaniard Juan Ayuso. The young rider from Alicante, currently the biggest star of Spanish cycling, has counterattacked, stating that he lives in "a dictatorship" where "they want to damage" his "image." The final days of competition could be complicated within the Emirates-based team.

From one small country to another. Slovenia has dominated the Vuelta a Catalunya recently. For the third time in a row, a Slovenian has won the Catalan race after a thrilling display by Primoz Roglic (Red Bull) on Montjuïc. Roglic, the 2023 champion, won the Volta for the second time, a year after his compatriot Tadej Pogacar's triumph. On the final stage, Roglic was one second behind Juan Ayuso (UAE), but the Barcelona-born cyclist was unable to compete with the Slovenian's experience. His attack on the final circuit of Montjuïc was thrilling. "Roglic was superior," Ayuso sadly admitted.