Adam Yates will take a second shot at the same ambitious calendar that "put him in a hole" this year

Adam Yates would agree that 2025 wasn't quite his year. Despite three UCI victories, the 32-year-old Brit saw his role in key races diminish from exclusive right-hand man of Tadej Pogacar to a regular mountain domestique. For the third man of the 2023 Tour, this order of matters is not acceptable and next year, the Brit aims to be once again the man UAE's stars can rely on in the crucial moments.

The season took off well with a successful defense of an overall victory at the Tour of Oman. But in the following months, Yates was only a shadow of himself, including at the Giro d'Italia where his teammate Isaac del Toro would've needed "a Yates in top form" on the final stage. The Tour month later carried on a similar note, although Yates at least reminded us of his true ability on a stage with finish on Col de la Loze.

"Last year I did too much, I got a bit enthusiastic, got too motivated and put myself in a hole," Yates explained to reporters including Domestique during a media day. "I started the season quite well but from that moment on, I didn’t really perform."

"I felt tired and a bit run down and that’s how I went through the first part of the season. I came through towards the end of the season, but by then it’s a bit too late, and the races had been and gone. But it’s a lesson learned and hopefully I’ll be a bit smarter and use my head a bit more next year than the legs, and we’ll see how it goes."

Regardless of the mediocre outcome of the past season, UAE and Yates plan to change only very little about his calendar, with the main innovation being the addition of Tour Down Under prior a three-peat attempt at the Tour of Oman. After the 2.Pro race, the plan for the following months is still a bit under the construction, Yates admits:

"We’ll have to work out what we’ll do between Oman and the Giro, but we’ll come up with something that works for me and that will get me in top shape," Yates said. "When I’m in top shape, I’m not a bad bike rider."

"I’m normally not bad at the start of the season, I’ve won Oman twice, and then it’s about managing the load and doing the right things to arrive in top shape. I’ve not done the Giro too many times, maybe twice, so it’s not something I’ve done a lot or have peaked for a lot, so we’ll see."

The most important will be to get everything going well for the Giro d'Italia where Yates is intended to lineup as the right-hand man for Joao Almeida, and potentially a GC back-up.

"For sure he’s the absolute leader, but the team want multiple options at every race, and I guess I’m one of those options," Yates said. "There’s such a long time trial there, so it’s not an ideal course for me, but at the same time it gives me a bit more freedom to get in the breaks sometimes and cause a bit of carnage."

"I just need to arrive in the best shape that I can and then everything else will figure itself out. For sure I’ll try for GC, but it’s not the number one goal. It’s going to be João, and with the TT there, he’s always performed well in these sorts of races. For sure he’s the leader and I’m more of a back-up, but I think it works really well."