Promises made
Simon Yates’s 2014 Tour ride sparked his lightning-fast rise to the top
The fact that Simon Yates was berating himself for not performing better less than 48 hours into his first ever Grand Tour speaks volumes about his ambition in the three-week races.
In fairness, he probably had more desire than most to show well on the day in question, seeing as it passed within shouting distance of his home town of Bury — and the terrain suited his strengths perfectly.
As you’ve probably guessed, we’re talking about the 2014 Tour de France and that unforgettable Yorkshire Grand Départ. Following a day-one sprint finish in Harrogate, Yates, riding for Oricagreenedge, had hoped to do well on the York to Sheffield stage, which had been described as a ‘mini Liège-bastogneliège’. But despite his best efforts, Yates was unable to make it into the select groups that contested the finale, instead coming in a dejected 4.34 down.
He’d learned his first Grand Tour lesson, the hard way.
“I’m slightly disappointed I couldn’t make it right to the finish in Sheffield,” Yates said afterwards. “I’m quite ambitious and I like to do well. I’ll just have to move on and hopefully I’ll have another day.”
Yates wasn’t supposed to go to the Tour de France that year. He’d broken his collarbone in April’s Tour of Turkey and, although fully recovered, he wasn’t on Orica DS Matt White’s team list for France. However, with Daryl Impey ruled out due to a probenicid investigation
(he was eventually cleared) and Michael Matthews breaking his collarbone the day the team travelled to the race, opportunity was suddenly knocking loud and clear for Yates.
“One door closes and another one opens,” recalls White, “and I thought it’s a really good opportunity to give him some exposure to the Tour, because I always thought he had the ability to be a GC rider and I think the earlier you get exposed to those races the better.
“It was certainly a surprise for him!” As well as being Yates’s first Grand Tour personally, it was also the first three-week race for either himself or his twin Adam. In addition, despite the first three stages taking place in England, Yates was the only English presence in the Tour that year, although he was backed up by fellow Brits Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish.
However, as a 21-year-old neo-pro Yates was never going to be in the race for the full term. “We went in with the very clear idea that he was going home after 10 days,” says White.
But as the race went on the young Yates found his confidence growing — along with his determination to continue the race for as long as possible. On stage eight, a tough, mountainous and rainy day, Yates secured his best finish yet — 43rd at Gérardmer — and hoped it would be currency enough to convince White to let him ride on.
“He came to my room and said, ‘What do you reckon about me going on to Paris?’” White recounts. “I said, ‘Look, there’s a reason we don’t want you to go to Paris, and I’m sure you can finish the Tour, but we don’t want to burn you out.’
“We sort of compromised and I let him go until the second rest day.”
Yates eventually went home, very reluctantly, after stage 15 to Nîmes. “I went to him and said, ‘A deal’s a deal, and you’ve got to go home.’ Someone came and picked him up and took him home, and he wasn’t happy. He was not happy with me for sending him home six stages from the finish,” says White.
But finish or not, Yates had enjoyed a fine Tour de France debut with some promising rides along the way — his best result being 21st place at Risoul on stage 14, a full-fat mountains day with two cat-ones, an hors-cat and a summit finish, won by Rafal Majka of Tinkoff-saxo.
Despite Yates’s ire, team boss White stands by his decision to pull his charge off the race early, saying: “He exited the Tour very well, he had some great results in the second half of the season and got his first exposure to the Tour without leaving in a body bag.”
Certainly the story seems to have worked out well for Yates, who has six full Grand Tours including one win in his palmarès — so far. As White says: “There are still improvements we can make as a team, and him individually, but it’s exciting times. We’re going into next year with a lot of confidence, both for him and Adam.”