¡Adiós!

[Kazistuta]

Definitely a shock and most definitely a massive blow to Vismas GC ambitions. There's gotta be more to this decision under the surface, or else it wouldn't be announced at this point.

 

[Berniece]

According to Daniel Friebe, it has been rumoured since last summer (I heard nothing of those rumours).

https://twitter.com/x/status/2008886768238776499

View: https://x.com/friebos/status/2008886768238776499

And not properly decided until now? He could've stopped after the season in October which would make much more sense than to communicate this with Visma right before the start of the new season when you aren't able to get any riders anymore.

 

[Berniece]

Visma's climbing squad looks mighty thin now, unless Nordhagen (or, less probably, Piganzoli) manages to step up big time I don't know how they're going to make it all work.

Neither of those two are going to be able to step up to the level of S. Yates.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

According to Daniel Friebe, it has been rumoured since last summer (I heard nothing of those rumours).

https://twitter.com/x/status/2008886768238776499

View: https://x.com/friebos/status/2008886768238776499

As someone who dislikes Visma... if Yates was seriously considering this as early as July or August, then it's kind of a d*ck move towards Visma to wait until January to pull the plug. Nothing about their transfer activity suggests they were planning for the possibility, after all.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Neither of those two are going to be able to step up to the level of S. Yates.

To his Giro winning level, definitely not. To his Tour stage hunting slash domestique duty level, it's not impossible, and even that would help Visma a lot given that they have nobody but Jorgenson and Kuss left who can be in a 15-rider GC group at the Tour.

 

[Cycling111]

It's very surprising, not to say strange. He just won a GT race after 7 years, and also a stage in the Tour de France.

 

[Jan the Man]

Obviously I'm younger than most on here, but I can't remember a more shocking retirement in this sport.

Visma's climbing squad looks mighty thin now, unless Nordhagen (or, less probably, Piganzoli) manages to step up big time I don't know how they're going to make it all work.

A surprise and shock especially the timing. However surely not the most shocking.

Indurain went out and retired younger. I’d say more recently Kittel too was in some ways more of a shock.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

A surprise and shock especially the timing. However surely not the most shocking.

Indurain went out and retired younger. I’d say more recently Kittel too was in some ways more of a shock.

Both Indurain and Kittel had fallen off a cliff prior to their retirement, whereas Yates is coming off of one of his best-ever seasons.

 

[tobydawq]

A surprise and shock especially the timing. However surely not the most shocking.

Indurain went out and retired younger. I’d say more recently Kittel too was in some ways more of a shock.

Kittel had lost his mojo. Simon Yates is a defending Grand Tour winner. I don't think anyone would pick Kittel as the bigger surprise here...

Dumoulin's first stop was maybe up there, but he had been sounding negative for quite a while.

 

[search]

According to Daniel Friebe, it has been rumoured since last summer

that's good to hear, especially as Friebe is usually a reliable source. Makes it less likely to be dark side related.

 

[Tim Cahill]

You only really need 1 or 2 high level climbers with your GC guy nowadays, I feel the game has changed.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

From the first until the last, the adage remains. If you want to tell the Yates twins apart, ask yourself, "are they doing anything interesting?" If the answer is "yes", it's Simon. He even made his retirement a point of interest.

 

[Cycling111]

A surprise and shock especially the timing. However surely not the most shocking.

Indurain went out and retired younger. I’d say more recently Kittel too was in some ways more of a shock.

Indurain retired after his worst Tour de France and season in six years. Simon Yates has retired after his best results in seven years. The situations are completely opposite.

 

[Berniece]

To his Giro winning level, definitely not. To his Tour stage hunting slash domestique duty level, it's not impossible, and even that would help Visma a lot given that they have nobody but Jorgenson and Kuss left who can be in a 15-rider GC group at the Tour.

I would be very surprised if Nordhagen is able to get to that level this season already. Winning a stage in the TDF? Very doubtful.

 

[Salvarani]

It's very surprising, not to say strange. He just won a GT race after 7 years, and also a stage in the Tour de France.

Im sure he also sacrificed a lot and achieved something great in his last season. He might feel he has accomplished everything he needed or wanted to now. Especially, winning the Giro on Finestre... with his own history of the climb and the race.

It is a fairytale end to his career with the last season. He is 33 years old.

He is good enough to continue and could have earned a pay-check riding for a couple of more seasons... but if his heart aint in it anymore... there is literally no better time than for him to retire after a season like this. 33 is still a respectable age to retire at and very few get to retire like this. Spend more time with the family. Best wishes to him.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Not the first visma rider to announce a shock early and immediate retirement . Wonder what they are doing behind the scenes, how far they push riders in dedication, that one day it's just enough for them

 

[tobydawq]

From the first until the last, the adage remains. If you want to tell the Yates twins apart, ask yourself, "are they doing anything interesting?" If the answer is "yes", it's Simon. He even made his retirement a point of interest.

I don't think this holds up to scrutiny.

A short story of Adam Yates and the Tour:

Stage 7, 2016: While on the attack for a couple of seconds on GC (not for the stage win), he gets assaulted by a deflating kilometer banner which makes him crash and does not gain any time.
Stage 12, 2016: Is initially awarded the yellow jersey but the jury decides that crashes should not impact GC, so Froome gets it back.
Stage 16, 2018: Is on track for a certain stage win but crashes on the final downhill due to the stress of being chased by Alaphilippe.
Stage 5, 2020: Gets revenge over Alaphilippe and the jury of Ventoux due to the former taking an illegal feed late in the stage, resulting in a time bonus so that Yates gets the yellow jersey.
Stage 1, 2023: Is embroiled in the coolest twin attack of all time and ends up winning the first stage (finally as it was his first ever GT stage win) and taking the yellow jersey again.

I guess you could say that much of it is circumstantial but he has definitely had one of the most eye-catching Tour arcs I have ever seen.

 

[Rob5091]

Not the first visma rider to announce a shock early and immediate retirement . Wonder what they are doing behind the scenes, how far they push riders in dedication, that one day it's just enough for them

Mrs Vingegaard probably approves of this post!

 

[awavey]

Damn,should have spotted he was the only one on the team page not wearing the new kit.

Maybe the delay was just trying to find the right settlement to his contract as he obviously still had this year to go and perhaps they thought they could change his mind.

Its not like there are were replacements of his standard, that Visma missed out on as a result

 

[tobydawq]

Its not like there are were replacements of his standard, that Visma missed out on as a result

Onley or Gee?

 

[Cycling111]

Not the first visma rider to announce a shock early and immediate retirement . Wonder what they are doing behind the scenes, how far they push riders in dedication, that one day it's just enough for them

Also in the women's team.

 

[Jan the Man]

Both Indurain and Kittel had fallen off a cliff prior to their retirement, whereas Yates is coming off of one of his best-ever seasons.

Agree to disagree on Indurain - he was not on his previous level obviously, but too much made of Vuelta abandonment. if falling off the cliff is winning the Dauphine, Olympic TT then sure.

He was mulling a big contact offer from Saiz so sure was not perhaps as ‘out of the blue’ but still

 

[wansteadimp]

As someone who dislikes Visma... if Yates was seriously considering this as early as July or August, then it's kind of a d*ck move towards Visma to wait until January to pull the plug. Nothing about their transfer activity suggests they were planning for the possibility, after all.

I guess it could be Visma realised they needed him and persuaded him to carry on and Simon's started the first training camp after Xmas and thought f'this I should have retired when i wanted to.

If it had been Adam retiring I would have suggested his Bury roots and previous work for Sir Jim meant he was being lined up for the United job!

 

[Tim Cahill]

Onley or Gee?

I don't think they have anywhere near the coin for the buyouts looking at some of the bargain bin signings, though this will free up some money, Hindley and Carapaz out of contract after 2026 I think which would be direct replacements for Yates, but I think they will probably go for LVE.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't think this holds up to scrutiny.

A short story of Adam Yates and the Tour:

Stage 7, 2016: While on the attack for a couple of seconds on GC (not for the stage win), he gets assaulted by a deflating kilometer banner which makes him crash and does not gain any time.
Stage 12, 2016: Is initially awarded the yellow jersey but the jury decides that crashes should not impact GC, so Froome gets it back.
Stage 16, 2018: Is on track for a certain stage win but crashes on the final downhill due to the stress of being chased by Alaphilippe.
Stage 5, 2020: Gets revenge over Alaphilippe and the jury of Ventoux due to the former taking an illegal feed late in the stage, resulting in a time bonus so that Yates gets the yellow jersey.
Stage 1, 2023: Is embroiled in the coolest twin attack of all time and ends up winning the first stage (finally as it was his first ever GT stage win) and taking the yellow jersey again.

I guess you could say that much of it is circumstantial but he has definitely had one of the most eye-catching Tour arcs I have ever seen.

I usually associate him with early-career anonymous top 10s, and late-career being another faceless Sky and then subsequently UAE superdom who is always there and visible as part of the train, placing well but without doing much of interest in and of himself, and even when he's won some lesser races and one-weekers it's typically just been a product of UAE's bludgeoning strength.

Through the middle of his career I got less mileage out of that meme comparison, for sure, and he's added to a decent number of one day races over the years too, but in recent years for me that comparison has been back with a vengeance. When Adam retires, I can't say I expect to really care much. I expect I'll miss Simon.