Yates wins ‘ fantastic’ Tour of Alps before Giro

ROME: Briton Simon Yates said it was “fantastic” to win the Tour of Alps on Friday to claim his first victory of the season, ahead of next month’s Giro d’italia

Former Vuelta a Espana champion Yates, 28, finished 58 seconds ahead of Spaniard Pello Bilbao and Russian Aleksandr Vlasov in third.

“It feels really fantastic. The team did a great job today, controlled it at the start, rode all day, then in final they were fantastic,” Bike Exchange’s Yates said.

“It was a short day and there wasn’t so much action from the General Classification but it was still a hard day, with a lot of stress, and with a descent to the finish it’s always nervous,” he added.

Yates, who claimed the Tirreno-adriatico last year, will now turn his focus to the Giro, which starts on May 8 in Turin. Chris Froome struggled all week in the mountains between Italy and Austria finishing in 94th place, more than 41 minutes behind Yates.

Austrian Felix Grossschartner won the fith and final stage between Valle del Chiese and Riva del Garda ater a solo atack.

Bora-hansgrohe’s Grossschartner was among a seven-man group going into the final kilometre before breaking free to claim victory ater just missing out earlier in the week.

“I was second on the third stage so I’m super happy today I can take the victory for the team,” Grossschartner said.

“It’s always great to win, every pro cyclist knows it’s really hard to win a race when there are 160 guys fighting for the victory. It’s always special.”

Meanwhile, former Team Sky and British Cycling doctor Richard Freeman has launched an appeal ater being found guilty of ordering banned testosterone for doping purposes.

Freeman was permanently struck off the medical register last month ater a tribunal ruled he had ordered Testogel “knowing or believing” it was to be given to an unnamed rider in 2011.

Freeman’snewlegalteamconfirmedonthursday that an appeal had been lodged with the High Court, with the hearing expected to take place in November or December.

“Mr Freeman is innocent of wrongdoing and we are confident that the truth will ultimately be recognised by the UK justice system,” said solicitor Graham Small.

Freeman, who was simultaneously employed by British Cycling and Team Sky -- now Ineos Grenadiers -- between 2009 and 2015, resigned from British Cycling in 2017 because of ill-health. He had already let Team Sky. Freeman admited 18 of 22 charges against him but denied the central charge regarding the purpose of the Testogel order.

He claimed the Testogel was ordered to treat former performance director Shane Suton’s erectile dysfunction, which the Australian vociferously denied, before storming out during a tumultuous day of evidence in 2019. The appeal is likely to focus on Suton’s evidence and the tribunal’s conclusion that he was a credible and consistent witness.

Freeman is also facing two UK Anti-doping charges regarding the ordering of the testosterone.