Confident Yates full of Tour ambition
A YEAR ago Adam Yates was one of the Tour de France revelations in fi nishing fourth and now his twin brother Simon has lofty ambitions.
Adam Yates surprised even himself when he won the young rider’s white jersey a year ago and spent much of the race in the top three before finishing fourth, behind winner Chris Froome, Frenchman Romain Bardet and Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
But that success, and Simon Yates’ own strong showing at last year’s Vuelta a Espana, means the latter came to the Tour with a definite aim.
“I came here with more ambition because I’ve already ridden top 10 in a Grand Tour,” said the British Orica rider.
“I’d like to continue with that, that’s where I’d like to be: I’d like to be a GC (general classification) rider.
“For sure I came here with more ambition. Straight away we came here with the goal to win the white jersey.
“My bro, last year he’d never really ridden for GC so we didn’t know if he could last the three weeks.”
Yates, 24, was 89th in his last Tour appearance in 2015 but since then had a strong Vuelta last year and in April was second to Australian Richie Porte in the Tour of Romandie – his best result yet in a major one-week stage race.
He’s made a good start to this race and on Wednesday climbed into the white jersey his brother won last year after a strong sixthplaced finish on the first mountain finale of the race left him sixth overall. — AFP