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.

Adrià Pericas (Tona, 2006) had been showing signs of his talent for some time. This week, it was confirmed that the 19-year-old cyclist from Osona had signed his first professional contract with UAE Team Emirates, the best cycling team currently in the world, led by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Pericas will share a team with Marc Soler from Villanueva, as well as Pablo Torres from Madrid, Igor Arrieta from Navarra, and Juan Ayuso from Valencia, the best Spanish cyclist currently in Spain.