Simon Yates reveals Adam Yates role in his transfer to Team Visma | Lease a Bike: "I got advice from him, yes"
Cycling
Simon Yates is embarking on a new chapter in his cycling career, joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the 2025 season. After over a decade with Jayco-AlUla, the move marks a significant change for the British rider, who reflected on the challenges of leaving the team he called home for so long.
"The trainer I had in Jayco, Josh Hunt, is one of my best mates," Yates shared. "So it was difficult to leave. He'd only joined in 2020, but we had a fantastic relationship, so that was one of those things I'll miss. There were my own mechanics, my own soigneur, I had the whole team around me, and they were all there for me at races. So it wasn't not easy to change. But I had to make that sacrifice."
Simon’s twin brother Adam Yates, who left Jayco in 2021, played a key role in Simon’s transition by offering advice on the move. However, Simon was clear that Adam’s earlier departure wasn’t a driving factor behind his decision.
"I got advice from him, yes, because we're really close and after the proposal came in, we spoke. But seeing how he'd done wasn't the reason to go," Simon explained. "I was comfortable at Jayco and enjoyed my time there, but I'd never changed teams before, so I didn't know what it was going to be like. It gave me confidence that I did make the change, it was going to be ok."
Simon Yates is set to debut for Visma at the Giro d’Italia, the Grand Tour where he famously came close to victory in 2018. However, he expressed mixed feelings about the 2025 route.
"It's not the best I've ever seen, it's pretty uninspiring really. I would prefer a much harder start," he commented. "Don't get me wrong, it's going to be a difficult start in Albania there, but some of my best Giro GCs have been when it's been a really hard first few days like on Mount Etna or even two years ago in the Tour, too, in Bilbao."
Yates elaborated on his preference for a challenging opening. "I prefer that, because the riders finish their altitude camp and they're ready to race. But then we go to the race and we have to wait 10 days to have some action. It's a bit boring, almost."
Looking ahead to the race, Simon acknowledged the growing list of general classification contenders, including his brother Adam. Despite fan excitement about the potential sibling rivalry, Simon downplayed its significance. "Of course, it's nice to say - win or nothing. But as the days tick by, more and more guys are throwing their names into the GC ring," he noted. "These include, of course, his own brother Adam, with the fans keenly anticipating a duel which Simon is keen to play down as 'something the media's very interested in, but the truth is we've been rivals since he left Orica.'"
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- oooh, i LIKE the “family history” explanation! that one’s got some real depth and texture. you had me at UNRESOLVED GENERATIONAL TRAUMA. what i really do like about the whole thing is mathieu being bold enough to just say I DON’T LIKE THE TOUR DE FRANCE SO I’M NOT GOING. as you and i have discussed before, he marches to his own drummer.OCexile16-01-2025
- How many times have you looked at the perfect form of an athlete and marvelled at how easy that athlete makes it look when goes to work in his chosen sport? I marvel at Vanderpoel, Van aert, Pogacar and many many more. Cian is no different. He admires what those athletes do and it motivates him to be similar or better!1stpastthepost16-01-2025
- Why would he even mention Roglic? He can get 0 information from him and can't see how he's working and behaving. Makes 0 sensevappaxbipmv16-01-2025
- It might help to read it again. All Cian in that part is indicating is that he admires Roglic and Vingegegaard. This exact quote from the piece is really all you need to understand his thinking. "With Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard I have two great examples,"roadman5412116-01-2025
- That part isn't in quotation marks so the author came up with that. Second, Roglic winning at Visma doesn't help Cian at all, just because it's the same team. Froome also won the Tour riding for Sky and Ineos but that doesn't mean that the current riders there can help me (apart from G)vappaxbipmv16-01-2025
- Firstly, as far as I read it, the article only reports what Cisn said so the writer can’t be blamed for that. Secondly Cian rides for Visma, Jonas won and rides for Visma, Primoz rode and won for Visma, all he’s saying is he wants to follow by winning for Visma and he obviously feels it’s the right place for him to achieve it. Really don’t see much to get confused about, it’s a lot simpler and clearer than most of what I post, which incidentally isn’t intended for everyone, take what you will, ignore the rest is a good motto.Mistermaumau16-01-2025
- It's been like shooting fish in a barrel for the Portuguese anti-doping authority.
santiagobenites16-01-2025 - Then the article is stupid for talking about Visma's leaders in GTsvappaxbipmv15-01-2025
- Pain and death have long been distorted since the advent of mass gaming. Death is also a very ambiguous paradoxical topic religiously. I get that people get upset but when you pull your head out the sand and see what really goes on in the world, everywhere, anywhere at any time at every level, when you see certain ideologies, when you see what people do to each other, to kids for the sake of causes, emotions, perversion, kicks or money, the torture done by states, enemies, authorities or just sick individuals, this guy is not even a 6 on a scale of 10. To turn this into drama is like governments fighting plastic pollution with bans on single use straws. Please, these cases get treated, let’s focus more energy on the far worse ones that don’t. The last thing the world needs now is an army of Elons cherry picking examples of evil to hide the bigger picture. Flattening molehills on a mountain.Mistermaumau15-01-2025
- He’s just saying he wants to follow in the footsteps of someone like Roglic or Jonas, I doubt teams, races or exchanges have anything to do with his thinking.Mistermaumau15-01-2025