Adam Yates' future uncertain as INEOS Grenadiers are yet to renew with Briton

INEOS Grenadiers are one of the teams with the most depth in the climbing field currently in the peloton, but they are having to make some decisions into the 2023 as Richard Carapaz is set to leave, Egan Bernal is an unknown when it comes to performing at the highest level, and Adam Yates is another rider whose future is uncertain.

In an interview with CyclingWeekly, team principal Rod Ellingsworth argued that "it's too early to say, I don't know. For sure we'll go away and have a little think. There's a couple of restructures, we have got a really good young group, we are building a good group, so a bit of thinking".

Read also

Wout van Aert chooses Road Race over Time-trial at World championships, Vanthourenhout confirms

Yates has been racing for INEOS since 2021, a signing that has brought success in the one-week stage-races as he's been on the fight for several top places, and has inclusively won the 2021 Vuelta a Catalunya. However when it came to the Grand Tours he never managed to show the same level, although a fourth place at the 2021 Vuelta a Espana proved he could still have the consistency of his early years.

This year he had a higher role at the Tour de France due to Egan Bernal's absence, which saw Geraint Thomas ride to third place. Yates was in the battle for the Top5 throughout most of the race, but he struggled in the Pyrenees to fall back into 10th place in Paris. "He's been sick a number of times, and Covid in Suisse really put him in a bad place. We took a risk in selecting him, we brought him him because we thought it was still worth bringing him here but he still got sick again," Ellingworth explained regarding his performance at the Tour.

Read also

INEOS Grenadiers renew with Filippo Ganna until 2027

Still one of Great Britain's top riders, Yates is 14th and the nation's best positioned rider in the UCI ranking. With new signings on the way however, it is unclear whether his contract will be renewed into the 2023 season. "I am sure he's got some interest because at the end of the day he's a talented bike rider," he concluded. 

Read also

Preview - Tour de Pologne 2022 stage 6