Ayuso regrets teammate's puncture cost them Tour de France victory chance

Juan Ayuso, the Spanish cyclist, secured fourth place in the Tour de France's opening team time trial held in Barcelona. However, Ayuso expressed disappointment over a puncture that affected his teammate Mattias Skjelmose, believing it prevented them from competing for the win. "We were very close. It's a shame because we lost Mattias relatively early, and he was going to be a rider to make a difference at the end," Ayuso stated. He acknowledged that his team, Trek, performed well in the time trial, coming close to teams in a different league. Ayuso thanked his teammates and lamented their bad luck, suggesting they could have contended for victory. The initial plan was for Skjelmose to be Ayuso's key support on the final climb up Montjuic and also on the flat sections. "We were left with only five very early on, and that could have made the difference. We have to move forward; there are 20 days left to give our best," Ayuso commented, looking ahead to the rest of the race.