"Then I’ve been on the podium of every Grand Tour, not many guys can say that" - Simon Yates eyeing Tour de France success this summer
Cycling
Simon Yates has amassed a very impressive palmares over the years. After adding overall victory at the AlUla Tour earlier this month, the former Vuelta a Espana winner is already casting one eye on the coming Tour de France.
“I want to go back to the Tour. After last July I already had that in mind to go back,” says the 31-year-old Brit in conversation with Rouleur, referring to his narrow missing out of the podium to his own brother, UAE Team Emirates' Adam Yates at the 2023 Tour de France. “Of course, every year is different, and the competitors are different and it’s always difficult, but I would really like to try and go after that because then I’ve also been on the podium of every Grand Tour, and not many guys can say that."
As mentioned, Yates took overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana back in 2018 and with a 3rd placed finish at the 2021 Giro d'Italia, just the Tour de France podium is missing. “It's a big goal, but why not go after it?" Yates says confidently. “I mean, last year were my best numbers I ever did. I don’t know if I can keep improving. I hope so. And I’m still motivated. I’m getting older now. Just at the Tour Down Under for some reason I checked the start list and I was second oldest in the team, and it didn’t really register yet that I was one of the veterans. But I still feel young, motivated to do better and to improve myself, and go after the highest of heights. We’ll see if I can do that.”
Already with two stage races in his legs for 2024, finishing 7th at the Tour Down Under and winning the AlUla Tour, Yates assures he's only just getting started. “I’m not 100 per cent, it’s too early for that, and if you ever have such a high peak now you would need a break earlier than the Ardennes,” Yates explains. “But it is difficult. You see that, on Willunga, the stage there, my numbers were through the roof, and I turned around and there is 10 blokes still there. Normally if I do those numbers there would be one guy."
A stalwart of the Team Jayco AlUla set-up, Yates has ridden his whole World Tour career with the Australian-based team. "I’m very happy where I am. I get a lot of freedom from other things in my life; training camps and stuff like that. I get to organise my own so I can go away with family and take my dog and live a relatively normal life," he says.
"And when I go away, I’m very professional. I’ve never come down from a training camp at altitude going badly. I enjoy getting away and really concentrating on that. In that regard, why would I change when I have those sort of freedoms?" Yates concludes. "I still feel completely part of the team and we have a great understanding about one another so I’m not searching to change.”
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024
- If you hold onto then, you blowup in a minute and then you finish 5 minutes down like Ben O'Connorabstractengineer21-12-2024
- Based on what argument?Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Agreed except the length of climbs, pretty sure you can stretch that to about a km unless we’re talking about half a dozen in quick succession.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Lot of contradictory information floating around world cup contenders, someone should do some tidying up.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- A bit much to suggest that Pogacar is better than MvdP on most terrains. The only terrain Pogacar is clearly better is long climbs, on any other terrain they are pretty even except flat cobbles and short and steep climbs (max a few 100 mtrs) where MvdP is clearly better than Pogacar.Velovibes21-12-2024
- The likelihood of RE improving enough at this point to outclass TP or JV is less than zero.verve82521-12-2024
- That’s the most stupid thing I’ve read for a long time, did you not go to school and learn even the most basic physics? Aero depends on one thing only, drag, drag depends speed and the relationship is squared and apart from maybe at zero or the speed of sound or due to side winds that relationship is valid at all speeds, it dies not “suddenly” start at a magic number. Very simply, the faster you go the more the effect becomes important. If you think 25km/h is needed to have noticeable effects you’re delusional, athletic WR are cancelled as soon as winds top 2m/s that’s 7.2km/h, why because the assistance is already too important at that speed and the times prove it. You don’t even consider wind which can significantly increase the effective speed for aerodynamics and you underestimate speed of climbs, 6% is ridden more at 30 than 25km/h, a speed at which early generation high rims were considered to have more advantages than disadvantages. And finally, as in normal races you can’t just switch bikes according to terrain, it’s pretty pointless to discuss climbs as a separate situation, the aero will have justified itself plenty during the rest of the ride.Mistermaumau21-12-2024