Keith Lambert
The Academy coach tells Charlie Graham-dixon how Simon Yates’s talent shone through as he rose through the ranks
“Simon always stood out, though he’s always been shy,” says Keith Lambert — twice British road race champion (1974 and 1980), former directeur sportif and current GB Academy coach — who managed Simon Yates and brother Adam at under-23 level. “I saw a lot of him from being a DS at his early races, and could see his determination right from the start. He wanted to just train and train — you couldn’t tire him out.”
After selection by the British Cycling Olympic Academy programme aged 18, Yates won medals from 2010-2013 at the junior Track World Championships, National Championships and Track World Championships, among other events. In his 2013 breakthrough year, Yates’s road career began to blossom, winning stages at the Tour de l’avenir, Tour of Britain and the national under-23 road title. During 2013 Yates never finished outside the top 10 of any road race, and Lambert remembers well the young rider’s voracious appetite for training, competition and incredible fitness levels.
“After we got back from the Sun Tour in Australia, Simon wasn’t home long before going straight to Minsk [Belarus] for the 2013 Track Worlds, and as soon as we arrived, we could see how fit he was. The longer the event went on, the stronger he became and he ended up winning the points race,” recalls Lambert.
Despite his success on both road and track, Yates was always clear about his desire to become a road professional and had to be convinced to combine the two disciplines.
“The funny thing is, Simon never wanted to go to Minsk because he was so set on being a road pro,” Lambert chuckles, “but he asked me what I thought and I said, ‘Stick with the track for a bit — you’ll double your palmarès.’”
Along with Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas, Simon Yates’s track background goes back a long way. He was riding at the Manchester Velodrome from age seven. According to Lambert, the
track was vital in his overall development, even though he eventually focused solely on the road.
“The track taught him the discipline and race craft required to be a road pro. He handles himself in a fast-moving bunch, which the track has really helped with. He’s not a bunch sprinter but has a powerful acceleration.” As evidence, Lambert cites Yates’s win on stage six of the 2013 Tour of Britain: “Simon rode away from [Nairo] Quintana and Wiggins to win. He’s always had the explosiveness to power away from everyone and that’s the beauty of his riding — he can climb but sprint too and has excellent all-round ability.’
Though recent Grand Tour performances have highlighted Yates’s all-round prowess, contesting TT stages alongside his GC rivals presents a major challenge. Tall, powerful riders including Tom Dumoulin, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas combine excellent climbing with equally strong time trialling. Yates time trialled well at the Vuelta, but is there room for improvement?
“He’s always needed to work on time trialling, but has improved significantly to become a complete rider,” says Lambert. “He’s only 26 and getting stronger. If he keeps working on TTS, he’ll develop and get even stronger over the next few years.”
Though 2018 has been a highly successful year for Yates with his Vuelta overall victory, there have also been mixed fortunes. He wore the pink leader’s jersey at the Giro d’italia for 13 days and won three stages before losing time to his rivals and cracking during stage 19, where he lost
39 minutes to Froome. Does Lambert feel Yates should have curbed the natural aggressive and attacking instincts he showed during the first half of the race?
“He could have been less gung-ho and more reflective on what was to come, but I certainly wouldn’t knock him because the way he approached the race was so refreshing. Yeah, he lost, which from a personal point of view is disappointing, but it’s great to see a rider have a bloody good go.” Lambert takes issue with pundits who criticise Yates’s approach: “I don’t think we should knock aggressive, instinctive riding because that is racing and what we want to see. Knowing Simon as I do, he wouldn’t have ridden so aggressively if he didn’t believe he could win.’
Is Lambert surprised by Yates’s progress and achievements? “Not at all,” he answers. “We forget he’s 26 and turned pro at 21, so he’s been around for years. Crucially, though, his progression has been steady, which has been to his and Adam’s benefit. The way they’ve been nurtured by Orica Scott has been exemplary — always protected and always moving in the right direction but never too quickly.”
Solid support has been the key to Yates’s success, thinks Lambert.
“The team have helped both brothers realise their potential and Simon’s Vuelta win shows that. He’s now got the confidence to win these races and has become increasingly vocal on the road.”
Lambert punctuates the conversation with mentions of Simon’s twin brother Adam. Clearly, the brotherly bond and rivalry has been vital for Simon’s career.
“They came through the ranks together, became pros and now ride for the same team, so there is a love and bond but also brotherly rivalry. They’ve always pushed each other and looking through their career, you’ll see they try to outdo each other in terms of achievement. Of course, when it comes to the nitty gritty and helping each other and the team, like Adam did for Simon at this year’s Vuelta, they work together beautifully.”
“If he keeps working on TTS, he’ll develop and get even stronger over the next few years”