Roglic's main rival? Simon Yates confirms battles with Slovenian at Giro d'Italia and Volta a Catalunya; Supports Vingegaard at Tour de France
Cycling
Simon Yates was the man Team Visma | Lease a Bike signed with the highest hopes of providing the team with the firepower to match UAE Team Emirates - XRG at the Tour de France. However, the Briton is very much having his own ambitions besides supporting Jonas Vingegaard, as his schedule will feature the Giro d'Italia and the exact same preparation race as Primoz Roglic.
“It's always exciting to leave a familiar environment behind you. I rode with the same team for a long time, but this was a decision I had to make. I want to be the best version of myself, which is possible within this team," Yates said in a press release. "It was a great experience to get to know all the new faces, but also to test out the equipment.”
Yates starts off his season as the team leader at Tirreno-Adriatico, a race he won back in 2020. The following week he teams up with none other than Jonas Vingegaard at the Volta a Catalunya as the two battle Roglic. Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar will not be present in any of those stage-races, whilst none of the 'big 4' are likely to take part in Itzulia Basque Country or Tour de Romandie this spring.
"Normally I start in Tirreno-Adriatico, a stage race I already managed to win once in 2020. I haven't been there for a while in the meantime, so I'm happy I'll be able to race there again. Shortly after that, I'm heading to the Volta a Catalunya. As always, that will be a tough but beautiful race.”
Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij will have their own ambitions at the Giro d'Italia, but the Dutch team have presented their weapon in the pursuit of victory in Italy. “My biggest goal in 2025 will be the Giro. It's a race I have a lot of memories of - good and bad - so it inspires me to go for it once again". He will face the mythical Colle delle Finestre on the final day in the mountains, certainly hoping there will not be a deja vu this spring.
Yates will be given several opportunities to lead, as was the case with his twin brother Adam when he left for UAE. The two will be amongst the main favourites to win the Giro d'Italia, and will then support Vingegaard and Pogacar respectively at the Tour de France as luxury domestiques.
“The next goal for me will be the Tour de France, where I want to help Jonas secure another overall victory. It's exciting to soon be part of the team around someone like Jonas," the Briton admits. "I am motivated to assist him. I expect another battle against Tadej Pogacar, a teammate of my twin brother Adam. Both my brother and I will have the same role in support of our leaders, so that will be something to look forward to”
The former Team Jayco AlUla rider has been training with the team for the past month, and the thought of an evolution as was the case with some of his teammates excites him. “I already notice that the team places enormous value on a perfect environment and on details”, he adds. “The approach was definitely one of the reasons why I chose this team. I want to keep improving myself. It is often in the smallest details, so that is definitely where I can still make gains. I am therefore looking forward to the start of the season.”
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
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