'It hurts a lot' - Juan Ayuso reveals knee injury concerns but denies rivalry with teammate Isaac del Toro

Juan Ayuso has admitted he is still in pain after his crash during stage 9 to Siena, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG doing everything they can to ensure the Spaniard's knee wound does not become infected and put his Giro d'Italia at risk.

Ayuso crashed on the key gravel sector on Sunday. Teammate Isaac del Toro attacked soon after, gaining precise time and pulling on the pink jersey. As well as facing a multitude of questions about an internal rivalry at UAE, Ayuso has been fighting pain in his knee.

He pulled back 48 seconds on Del Toro in the Pisa time trial, but since then, the Mexican has swept up eight bonus seconds, leaving Ayuso second overall at 33 seconds.

Yet Ayuso seems more concerned about his knee pain than any time gaps.

"The pain is from the crash during stage 9 to Siena. I had three stitches, but the problem is that during the time trial, the stitches opened. Now it's swelling up again, so it's really painful," Ayuso told Cyclingnews, the Cycling Podcast and Flobikes on Thursday.

"I've got quite a lot of pain in my knee, so I hope these stages will be a bit easier and I can recover a bit more. But it's not ideal. It hurts more walking than on the bike, which is a good thing, but it hurts a lot."

Ayuso has a bandage covering his wound, and UAE are trying to ensure it does not become infected from dirt or rain during the stages of the Corsa Rosa.

"The important thing is that the injury doesn't get infected," UAE sports manager Joxean Matxin told Cyclingnews and the Cycling Podcast after stage 12 to Viadana.

"It's always better not to crash, but it happens, and when you do crash, you've got to be careful, keep it clean and stop any infection.

"We clean it before the stage and after the stage, in the morning and in the evening. It's not comfortable for him because it's on the corner where he bends his knee."

Ayuso, Del Toro and UAE have played down any internal rivalry but have insisted on defending the maglia rosa.

Ayuso and Del Toro have hugged at stage finishes and stayed safe together during the high-speed finish on stage 12 to Viadana. For now, they are considered joint team leaders, with the road and the racing of the final week of the Giro set to decide who ultimately becomes the team's protected leader and best hope for overall victory in Rome.

Ayuso has been able to avoid the spotlight and avoid awkward questions about team leadership by quickly riding to the UAE team after each stage.

Today, he opted to share his thoughts, denying any tension in the team.

"There's a really good atmosphere in the team. We're in a perfect situation," he said.

"We saw that after the Alpe San Pellegrino climb, when we went full gas, there were five guys; before, there were even eight of us, the whole team was there. That shows the strength of the team and how things are going.

"We're really happy how things are going, and we hope they continue."

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