On stage 13 of the 2024 Tour de France, UAE Team Emirates' Adam Yates found himself up the road early on. Given his presence however, the breakaway was allowed no leeway by the peloton, earning Yates no friends in the process.
"I told Adam Yates fifteen times to sit up and he said no because his team wanted him to continue," Julien Bernard complained post-stage in conversation with Cyclism'Actu. "I understand that UAE Team Emirates wants to tire out Visma | Lease a Bike in view of the next few days, but I don't understand Visma killing its team all day long when there is a mountain stage tomorrow (stage 14, ed.)."
Speaking to ITV Sport ahead of stage 14, Yates reflected on the controversy he had inadvertently caused. "Yeah, I actually made the breakaway a little bit by accident yesterday, just trying to cover guys and make sure it wasn't a super big move," the Brit, who finished on the podium of the 2023 Tour de France, begins his recap.
"Some of the guys in the breakaway tried to bully me a little bit and make me go back but the guys in the break, they don't pay my salary," Yates continues. "I listened to my team, they told me to stay there, and the break weren't too happy about it!"
When asked if such a situation proves there is some truth in the rumours of hostility towards UAE Team Emirates given their dominance of late, Yates is unsure. "Yeah, maybe," he answers. "We've just got to do a job you know, do what we're told. In sport you get nothing for free. I've never had anything given to me, I've had no gifts in my career. So why would we give out gifts? We do our pace and we obviously try to win!"
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