"The difference in level between the riders quickly became clear" - Unlucky crash thwarts Simon Yates' plans at the Taiwan KOM Challenge

Simon Yates was one of a number of top riders to take on the Taiwan KOM Challenge last week. Sadly for the Team Jayco AlUla rider, any hopes he had of taking victory were ruined by an untimely crash.

"First and foremost, it took a very long time for the race to get going," says Yates to his team's official social media. "Because I was at the start with 700 other riders, the difference in level between the riders quickly became clear. At the end of the neutralization zone, I was involved in a crash, but I didn't crash myself. But, riders behind me did not see the crash, so they collided with me, damaging the frame of my bike and causing three spokes to fall off the rear wheel. Normally I'd wait for the team car, but now with that gigantic peloton, I didn't know what to do. After that I could never get to the front."

Read also

Benjamin Dyball breaks Vincenzo Nibali's record at the Taiwan KOM Challenge, Simon Yates finishes outside the top 5

Benjamin Dyball was the eventual winner on the day, breaking a long-standing record set by Vincenzo Nibali in the process whilst Yates's Team Jayco AlUla teammate Jesus David Pena finished an impressive second place.

"I still achieved a decent time. Of course, I had hoped to do better, but I wasted a lot of energy trying to get to the front," Yates recaps. "I did my best and I enjoyed it. My strategy was to spare myself and wait until the last ten kilometres. That was also the right plan because the last part was at an altitude of more than three thousand meters and a lot steeper than before."

Read also

"I’ve definitely gone up a level" - Adam Yates delighted by successful first year at UAE Team Emirates