"When you don't have Tadej on the team, we always kind of go into the races with options" - Yates the GC contender but not absolute priority at UAE

UAE Team Emirates - XRG are taking to the start of the 2026 Giro d'Italia with plenty riders capable of winning stages. Adam Yates in the meantime will take on the GC leader's role after the withdrawal of João Almeida, in what may be the Briton's last chance of leading a three-week race in the Emirati team.

The main favourite at the Corsa Rosa is as clear as day for the 33-year old. "Who do you think? I think obviously everyone knows it's Jonas. He's going to be tough to beat," Yates said in words to TNT Sports ahead of the race. "I think nobody's unbeatable. But obviously it will be pretty difficult."

His start to the season was not ideal, but after spending the month of March training and preparing for the Giro, he returned to racing at O Gran Camiño where he won the overall classification and showed a good level. Out of the GC contenders, he is one of the riders who carries the most momentum.

With João Almeida at the start, there would be more sense of a big leader who could challenge Vingegaard, having done it in the past several times. Whilst Adam Yates provides guarantees of being in the mix for GC, a podium result would already come as a huge result for the Briton.

With Visma and potentially Red Bull taking over the responsibility in the mountain stages, Yates will not require the support that is asked of UAE in the same way that Tadej Pogacar does. "I think when you don't have Tadej on the team, we always kind of go into the races with options. I think the team have confidence in me, confidence in me to do a good GC, but I think we also have other options".

Hence it is clear that the team will be giving freedom to most of its riders to pursue stage wins - not unlike the 2025 Vuelta a España where the team consistently won, whilst also supporting Almeida's GC ambitions.

Jan Christen, Jhonatan Narváez and António Morgado will all be well adapted to the many hilly stages that should see the breakaway succeed; whilst Jay Vine and Marc Soler should aim for the mountain stages and potentially the KOM jersey - as was also the case at last year's Vuelta.

Yates is realistic and understands that the team's success depends more on the outcome of their stage win success - unless Jonas Vingegaard is to withdraw from the race and open up the GC battle. "When you don't really have the absolute strongest guy in the race, I think you also can't afford to put all your eggs in one basket."

Last year, his twin brother Simon Yates conquered the Trofeo Senza Fine. Adam lived this moment through an unusual lens, as he saw his own teammate lose it on the final competitive stage.

"I was at his house a few days ago and I saw the trophy in his living room. So, obviously, it's a big motivation for me to see him win," he tells. "I kind of saw both sides of the coin last year when we obviously lost with Isaac but then my brother won. He's a big motivation and seeing him win last year was a big inspiration for me."

Can Adam do the same? Or even be on the podium? A lot will depend on Visma and Jonas Vingegaard. "Depending on if and when he takes the jersey, it could be a big fight from behind and then tactical games start to be played. So, hopefully, we can be a part of that and then we'll see what happens."

The veteran knows well however that he is not entering the Giro above his direct rivals and that a lot of the final outcome is only to be decided in the next three weeks. Above climbing better, he points out how key it is to avoid the unnecessary time losses; and then benefit from good days on the bike to try and make the difference.

"I think in cycling now there are not many secrets to be shared. It's all high performance and a lot of sacrifice, a lot of focus. So I think everyone's kind of on the same page. It's all about staying out of trouble and playing your cards when you can play them," he concluded.