IT WAS GOOD FUN... I WANT MORE
Yates upbeat after losing Yellow
ADAM YATES relinquished control of the Tour de France leader’s Yellow Jersey and shrugged: “It was good fun while it lasted.”
But Britain’s only contender in the General Classification insists he is not yet a spent force and warned he could still make his presence felt in the final week. He was installed in the fabled Maillot Jaune by default when early race leader Julian Alaphilippe was handed a time penalty, so Yates had no complaints when he was knocked off the No1 spot on the road.
On a big day for Slovenia, Tadej Pogacar won stage nine and compatriot Primoz Roglic took over from Yates in the leader’s colours. At 21 Pogacar, right, is the youngest stage winner since Lance Armstrong in 1993 and the youngest this century.
Yates, whose preparations for the Tour were hampered by illness, always knew a punishing weekend in the Pyrenees was likely to test his staying power.
He fought tenaciously to stay in yellow on the feared Col de Peyresourde on Saturday, but the 95- mile rollercoaster from Pau to Laruns proved too much for the 28- year- old from Bury.
He was dropped on the final climb, crossed the line in 15th, 84 seconds behind Pogacar, and has now slipped to eighth in the overall standings, more than a minute down on pre- race favourite Roglic.
Yates said: “The break didn’t go until the climb really and I did my best. I knew, coming into the race, that I wasn’t 100 per cent and I gave everything I could to hang on.
“I think we can be proud of what we did. We’ll freshen up now on the rest day and go after some stages.
“The pace was a little bit faster today and although I did what I could, there’s some guys in better condition than me.
“It’s been a big honour riding in yellow for four days and it was good fun while it lasted. The next couple of days are flat and there might even be crosswinds, so it could be pretty easy to lose time. Let’s see what happens.
“I said from the very beginning that there’s a lot of stages in the last week that suit me quite well, so we’ll see.”
Unless Yates can turn the tide – and there is some serious firepower ahead of him in the top 10 – British interest in the GC will focus on whether Ineos boss Sir Dave Brailsford can plot an eighth Tour de France win in nine years. Brailsford’s trump card, defending champion Egan Bernal, has climbed to second in the charts, just 21 seconds behind Roglic.