Simon Yates already learning much from Jonas Vingegaard: "Quite motivating and inspiring to be with him day to day"

One of the biggest transfers of the recent off-season was Simon Yates' switch from Team Jayco AlUla to Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Already, the former Vuelta a Espana winning Brit is learning a lot with his new team and new teammates, most notably from his new team leader, Jonas Vingegaard.

A back to back Tour de France winner in 2022 and 2023, Vingegaard is widely regarded as one of the leading Grand Tour riders of his generation. Despite Yates having proven GC capabilities of his own, even from spending this small amount of time with the Dane, Yates is already picking up a lot from Vingegaard. "You really realise, once you ride with him, and just sitting with him at dinner, all the tiny percentages really matter actually," explains the 32-year-old in conversation with Eurosport. "Not that I was unprofessional before, but you skip things, you know, 'I don't want a massage today', and you realise maybe, day after day, these things make a small difference."

Although they were rivals on the road in past seasons, Yates admits he and Vingegaard didn't know each other all that well before his transfer to Visma ahead of the start of the 2025 campaign. "It has been quite motivating and inspiring to be with him day to day because I didn't know him that well before I joined the team," says Yates. "He's also welcomed me very well, so I'm looking forward to working together."

With the transfer to Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Simon is now positioned as a direct rival to twin brother Adam Yates, who rides for UAE Team Emirates - XRG. "I really want to be there for Jonas and play the same role my brother does for Tadej Pogacar, so it’s shaping up to be an exciting rivalry," he previews of the coming season. "We haven’t raced against each other all that often, but that will change this year. Let’s see who does better."

"I just want to be the best Simon I can be. I’m not the youngest anymore, and I didn’t want to end my career with regrets, so that’s why I made this change," concludes Yates. "If I had retired without experiencing how it works in a big team, I would’ve regretted it later. That was my inspiration. I still feel young and highly motivated to chase big goals. I’m not thinking about the end of my career yet."