"Last time I checked we did *road* cycling..." Simon Yates doesn't appreciate off-road stages in road racing 🇬🇧😠 #TDF2024
"Last time I checked we did road cycling" - Simon Yates thinks Tour de France should stay away from stuff like cobbles and gravel
CyclingMonday, 08 July 2024 at 01:00
It was not the best day in Simon Yates' career. The 31-year-old was already quite deep in the provisional standings, but after the gravel stage where he lost another 10 minutes, his GC ambition is officially as we enter the first rest day.
Before the stage, Yates shared his concerns about introduction of gravel to Tour de France in an interview with ITV Cycling. "Last time I checked we did road cycling. You could argue that gravel is also a road, but it's not something that I really enjoy. I think there's a place for it in the sport, you have that sort of things... you have Paris-Roubaix stages, you have cyclocross, ... but I think we should stick to road racing."
Yates believes that opinions about GC riders who should be able to excel on all types of terrains is outdated. "They'll say: 'Yeah back in the day... all the roads were cobbles...' and all this stuff, but we're in 2024 now. I'm not too sure, I think it creates a risk of punctures and crashes for not real reason but we got to deal with it."
With the general classification in the ruins, it's time for the Jayco AlUla rider to re-focus on stage success in second and third week. With the support of Chris Harper in the mountains, the two can surely achieve some nice results.
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- Maybe he needs more cowbell?redfishingboat22-11-2024
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maria2024202422-11-2024 - It happens all to often. My crashes over time have yielded a broken neck, broken back, broken left leg, crush pelvis, three broken collarbones, broken right arm and I've even lost a rib. Somehow I still train and do some races every year, mainly time trials these days.awp22-11-2024
- In Italy you have few days, no more than 10 days.maria2024202422-11-2024
- Thank you, I don't know it.maria2024202422-11-2024
- Danish guy here. We have up to 6 monthsspock12322-11-2024
- Yeah I thought also he will race the Tour as well if Tim Wellens not feeling good.
James2631822-11-2024 - is it normal in Denmark not to have a name for the baby after 2 month of his birth? how is the baby officially registered in the municipality/commune? is it not immediate?maria2024202422-11-2024
- Convicted of? Didn't need to be convicted. He confessed. But he was guilty of fraud, racketeering, bribery, drug smuggling, threating witnesses, and extortion.Sweep22-11-2024
- And Lance is regularly at his side. I want to puke each time I see them together.dabman21-11-2024