"I took a pay cut to go to Visma" - Simon Yates admits money was never behind Visma transfer

In cycling money isn't everything and behind the scenes there is a disparity of level between World Tour teams. Team Visma | Lease a Bike certainly does a good job and it's main signing for next season Simon Yates admits that he even accepted a pay cut only to be able to join the team and understand if he can still improve as did Adam Yates upon joining UAE Team Emirates.

"When the announcement was made that I was making a switch, I saw a lot of comments saying that there should be budget limits. But I took a pay cut to go to Visma. So, I was actively wanting to go there as well, because I want to be part of the best team," Yates admitted in words to Cyclingnews. Cian Uijtdebroeks broke his contract with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe last winter in order to join the team last winter, whilst Belgian Victor Campenaerts is also a good example of an experienced rider who will take on a domestique role as in Visma there is a pattern of riders taking a step up when comparing to their previous team. 

Yates certainly wants to discover if he is willing to take that step as well. "I think you have to think about it from the perspective of the rider and wanting to get the best out of himself. I've had 11 years of chances to do my own thing on this team and I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to now go to one of these teams". 

Adam Yates made the move from INEOS to UAE and raised to his career-best level, finishing on the podium of the Tour de France last year in a domestique role and having other big wins in the meantime. "Of course, he's had a very successful change there when he left from Ineos. So I would not say it was my inspiration, but it gave me confidence in my decision that it would be a good one. We're close. We discuss pretty much everything together. And he had the same opinion as what I'm telling you guys, you know, that maybe a change would be good."

The 32-year old had in mind leaving the team this season, and with Visma making a bid to sign him to improve their climber ranks against an ever-growing UAE, the Briton was more than happy to accept. "It's an exciting opportunity and I think it was the right moment to make a change. I'm not getting any younger. But I still have the motivation. I still have strong feelings in the legs. If I left it any later, you start to really decline, so now is the time to change."

Yates finished 4th at last year's Tour, perhaps his best-ever level, but this year has struggled again to match the best in the big races. "At the end of the day, not going to one of these super teams, I think I would regret when I finish if I didn't know what it was really like to be in one of the best teams. The proposal came and I just couldn't really miss an opportunity like that," he admits.

Yates will likely be in a similar position to that of Matteo Jorgenson, with stints of leadership but likely a support for Jonas Vingegaard at his Grand Tour objective. "It was an open role. It was to have chances, and also work sometimes for somebody else. I was completely happy with that".

"I'm still motivated to do well, and whether that's in a support role for those guys, or also winning myself, I am never against being in that role of helping somebody else, but I've just never really had the chance here to do that," he concluded, bringing to a close a decade-long stint with Team Jayco AlUla with whom he turned pro in 2014.