BRITS RULE THE WORLD OF SPORT...
YATES THE KING OF SPAIN AS HE SECURES GRAND TOUR HAT-TRICK
SIMON YATES joined the brotherhood of cycling legends after completing a Grand Tour triple crown for Britain’s blazing saddles.
When Yates clinched the Vuelta e Espana with 1min 46sec to spare from Enric Mas, he became the third British winner of a cycling Grand Tour in 2018 after Chris Froome’s triumph in the Giro d’Italia and Geraint Thomas winning the Tour de France.
And as he rolled into Madrid in triumph, with his twin Adam in the supporting cast, he joined Sir Bobby and Jack Charlton, triathlon’s Brownlee brothers and rugby league’s Burgess dynasty in the pantheon of great British sporting siblings.
And for ex-Manchester United and England stars Gary and Phil Neville, the day may be drawing close when they are not even the greatest pair of sporting brothers to come from Bury.
It was also Britain’s fifth consecutive win in cycling’s major three-week stage races – unprecedented domination by a single nation on the roads. Yates said: “It’s astonishing, really – growing up I was accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way.
“For myself, Chris and Geraint to win Grand Tours in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in our country.”
Victory was particularly sweet for the 26-year-old after his long-time leadership of the Giro in May was torpedoed by Froome’s sensational 50-mile solo breakaway on stage 19.
Four-time Yellow Jersey winner Froome was among the first to pay tribute to Yates’ perseverance, saying: “Simon has looked so strong over the past three weeks and it’s great to see him take home the maillot rojo. It’s been a perfect year for British riders, absolutely incredible.”
Those who know their pedals and gear ratios could tell Yates and bro were a cut above from an early age.
Nick Hall, chairman of Bury Clarion cycling club, told the BBC: “Other lads of the same age were playing football in the park.
“For the Yates boys, it was all cycling – they would sprint against each other to the next lamp post, and when they started racing at Manchester velodrome, they stood out.”
For Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford, meanwhile, Yates’ success and genuine competition for Froome and Thomas is, indirectly, further validation of his work.