Teams & Riders Brothers in (crank) arms - Yates Discussion Thread

[hayneplane]

Yates redemption on the Finestre during last year's Giro was one of the best cycling stories in a while.

He ends his career with a very good palmares with the 2018 Vuelta and the 2025 Giro being the highlights. Chapeau Simon.

I also didn’t realise he has won 11 Grand Tour stages as well as the 2 GC wins. That’s pretty high up the modern ranks for climbers.

 

[Offline]

So disrespectful to Visma.. Why not doing this 4 months ago!

There most be a different reason

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

So disrespectful to Visma.. Why not doing this 4 months ago!

There most be a different reason

Vingegaard targeting the Giro might be the issue here, as others have said. The timing does seem odd.

 

[Tim Cahill]

"*** Visma" - Simon Yates, probably

 

[Rockestar_33]

My teams first and only GT winner. He will always be one of my favourites and I hope he enjoys retirement.

 

[Squire]

"*** Visma" - Simon Yates, probably

Now that he needs to get a 'real' job, he'll learn to appreciate Visma.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm sad.

Retiring after a fairytale win is overrated.

Anyway, RIP the "he's doing something interesting, therefor it must be Simon" rhetoric.

 

[yaco]

It’s not the first time a rider has spoken out about that strict approach they use is draining hasnt it been 1-2 just this off season alone from that team harping on this? It seems to be a recurring theme.

Wouldnt suprise me if Visma leadership Plugge and co showed down the throat of the riders their own inferior complex on a daily basis either. must be tiring.

I posted at the time of his announced move to Visma that I'd be interested in how well he would adapt to the different environment as it is run differently to Jayco. In saying that, Jayco under their new leadership will come will be more professional.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Hoping he has a great retirement and this makes the twin swap easier. Had some great wins last year to you himself back on the pile. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than just Visma being more micro managing and Vingegaard going to the Giro.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Its amazing that people need there to be another reason behind it.
He's spent most of his career trying to achieve something that he has now ticked off. What else is there? He's left on his own terms. Just how I'm sure anyone of us would like to retire.

Always the more talented instinctive racer of the two. A great career. Possibly in the top 3 British racers of all time.

 

[jotafap]

Its amazing that people need there to be another reason behind it.
He's spent most of his career trying to achieve something that he has now ticked off. What else is there? He's left on his own terms. Just how I'm sure anyone of us would like to retire.

Always the more talented instinctive racer of the two. A great career. Possibly in the top 3 British racers of all time.

Well, I’d say top 3 is big a stretch. Without going back too far in time, Froome, Cavendish, Wiggins and G. Thomas are all well above him, in my opinion.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Well, I’d say top 3 is big a stretch. Without going back too far in time, Froome, Cavendish, Wiggins and G. Thomas are all well above him, in my opinion.

Agree. 5th for me.

 

[Rackham]

Its amazing that people need there to be another reason behind it.
He's spent most of his career trying to achieve something that he has now ticked off. What else is there? He's left on his own terms. Just how I'm sure anyone of us would like to retire.

Always the more talented instinctive racer of the two. A great career. Possibly in the top 3 British racers of all time.

He could have left one month ago as well when riders started training for the new season. Or when he was posing in the new team kit.

It's the timing that's unusual here (a week into January). Reminiscent of how Tom Dumoulin also just 'stopped' & took a break back in early 2021 at the start of Jumbo Visma's training camp in January.

 

[Oldman]

It obviously did help him, as he won the Giro.

He won the Giro guessing tactics better than the two staring at each others' chamois. That's him and JV's tech support can only go so far on that climbing stage. Vintage Simon.
It is more likely that, after decades of winning and supporting riders; receiving a daily dose of direction from new staff would remind him of what he loved. He probably didn't love that.

 

[saunaking]

I'm not in denial that this could be a 2nd doping offense but I have to also give him benefit of the doubt.

An old school guy, already said what a PITA it is with the new training methods, then his big goal of the season gets rug-pulled from him.

I can see him saying *** this, I'm not putting my museli on a scale every day to be a donkey for Jonas

edit - plus notoriously anti media guy who always stayed out of the limelight so its hard to get a read on him and his ambitions so who know how he really felt. I mean the guy won a GT I dont remeber any single interview with him in the last year

 

[Pozzovivo]

Timing quite similar to when Dumoulin announced he was taking a break (before coming back to do the olympics ITT). I think the sacrifices already start in January in terms of diet and hard training. If you're not motivated then it makes sense to stop now (for him), but not ideal for the team of course. Congratulations to the enigma, Simon Yates. Probably the single rider I have placed most bets on the last ten years. Highs and lows

 

[Pozzovivo]

I'm not in denial that this could be a 2nd doping offense but I have to also give him benefit of the doubt.

An old school guy, already said what a PITA it is with the new training methods, then his big goal of the season gets rug-pulled from him.

I can see him saying *** this, I'm not putting my museli on a scale every day to be a donkey for Jonas

edit - plus notoriously anti media guy who always stayed out of the limelight so its hard to get a read on him and his ambitions so who know how he really felt. I mean the guy won a GT I dont remeber any single interview with him in the last year

he roasted his team the day before his big win in the giro - I remember that

 

[Potomac]

We've been fooled this whole time!

According to this article from NBC sports, it was Adam Yates that won the 2025 Giro. Those sneaky bastards must doing twins prank stuff.

The information is near the bottom of the article.

2026 Giro to start in Bulgaria, be decided in the Dolomites, and finish in Rome

After the opening in Bulgaria, the peloton will fly to Calabria to begin a climb up boot-shaped Italy, passing through Naples and a difficult ascent to Blockhaus in Abruzzo.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Well, I’d say top 3 is big a stretch. Without going back too far in time, Froome, Cavendish, Wiggins and G. Thomas are all well above him, in my opinion.

froome is an empire baby. never even lived in the uk. Id put him above Thomas and behind Cav and Simpson. Toss up with Wiggins.

 

[Red Rick]

We've been fooled this whole time!

According to this article from NBC sports, it was Adam Yates that won the 2025 Giro. Those sneaky bastards must doing twins prank stuff.

The information is near the bottom of the article.

2026 Giro to start in Bulgaria, be decided in the Dolomites, and finish in Rome

After the opening in Bulgaria, the peloton will fly to Calabria to begin a climb up boot-shaped Italy, passing through Naples and a difficult ascent to Blockhaus in Abruzzo.

www.nbcsports.com

Explains Simon ragequitting tbh

 

[Gigs_98]

I'm sad.

Retiring after a fairytale win is overrated.

Anyway, RIP the "he's doing something interesting, therefor it must be Simon" rhetoric.

Adam would never retire in such an interesting way...

 

[theyoungest]

He won the Giro guessing tactics better than the two staring at each others' chamois. That's him and JV's tech support can only go so far on that climbing stage. Vintage Simon.
It is more likely that, after decades of winning and supporting riders; receiving a daily dose of direction from new staff would remind him of what he loved. He probably didn't love that.

That's too simple an explanation. Even Yates himself would tell you that the Visma way of doing things got him at the level required to win that Giro. It's more likely that after that his career was simply fulfilled. He corrected the most epic fail of his career. Similar would be if Steven Kruijswijk won the Giro somewhere in the last few years, he would have immediately called it a day as well.

 

[saunaking]

he roasted his team the day before his big win in the giro - I remember that

You're right! He did.
And in fact gave one of the best press conference answers ever at a Giro presser 5 or so years ago

No wonder he's usually quiet, cant put your foot in your mouth

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

with the retirement and adam unlikely to win many more top races i just thought id leave the twins joint palmares below

Giro d'Italia GC + podium
Vuelta a Espana GC
2x Tour de France Young Rider + 1 podium + yellow jerseys

4x Tour stages
6x Giro stages
3x Vuelta stages

GC
Tirreno-Adriatico
Volta a Calalunya
Tour de Romandie
Tour de Suisse
UAE Tour
Tour of the Alps
2x Tour of Oman
Tour of Turkey
Cro Race
Deutschland Tour
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
Allula Tour

+ stages in Paris Nice, Dauphine & Basque (+ Pologne & TDU)

World Points title
Junior World Madison title

Clasica de San Sebastian
GP de Montreal
GP Mig Indurain
GP Industria
+ some smaller italian and spanish races

Oh and to top it off, a National Junior Madison title...together.

 

[Potomac]

What is "world points title?"