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

[Armchair Cyclist]

What is "world points title?"

Being World Champion in the Points race

Track cycling events, explained

velo.outsideonline.com

 

[Oldman]

Being World Champion in the Points race

Track cycling events, explained

velo.outsideonline.com

Means you're fast enough to sprint after creating, attacking and bridging gaps for 100km, fixed gear. Special engine and will for that race.

 

[Cookster15]

Yes this was a shock retirement. But he has left on a high after that massive Giro victory to avenge his 2018 collapse on the same mountain. Good story here with thoughts from AC:

Alberto Contador understands Simon Yates' sudden retirement: "Cycling is a very sacrificial sport. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year"

Simon Yates retires from cycling at 33: a review of his career, wins at the Vuelta and Giro, Contador’s reflection, and the reasons behind his unexpected farewell.

cyclinguptodate.com

33 is a good age to retire IMO. Not always great seeing successful riders try to hang on too long. He and Adam turned pro in 2014, so that's a 12 year career as a pro.

Also interesting that a sub 60kg climber can have a track background. No mountains on a velodrome but it shows how the physiology for endurance track racing can apply to grand tour racing.

 

[proffate]

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

Kind of lame not to repay the team when they set him up for victory last year. Won't say they delivered it on a platter but Wout obviously did more than carry bottles.

If he actually cared about the 2026 giro so much, why not seek a transfer to another team?

Feels like it's probably a case of burnout and a contract that's not too lucrative to walk away from. Wonder what marketable skills he has developed in his life so far if he doesn't like talking in front of a camera and has been spending all his time exercising since he was 10. Edit: well I guess his peak earnings were around 1.5M/yr so he may have enough in the bank to just retire. Doesn't have the same taste in watches or cars as a MVDP.

 

[Gratemans]

Although like I already said, the timing is weird (yes I know retiring after winning a huge race makes sense, but he could also have announced retirement right after the season ended, why do people not get this?!) I gotta say I loved how unpredictable he was. Especially in this age.
He certainly provided us with a ton of entertainment, and in the end, that's what it's all about.

 

[yaco]

Kind of lame not to repay the team when they set him up for victory last year. Won't say they delivered it on a platter but Wout obviously did more than carry bottles.

If he actually cared about the 2026 giro so much, why not seek a transfer to another team?

Feels like it's probably a case of burnout and a contract that's not too lucrative to walk away from. Wonder what marketable skills he has developed in his life so far if he doesn't like talking in front of a camera and has been spending all his time exercising since he was 10. Edit: well I guess his peak earnings were around 1.5M/yr so he may have enough in the bank to just retire. Doesn't have the same taste in watches or cars as a MVDP.

He was getting more than 1.5m at Jayco.

 

[Cookster15]

Kind of lame not to repay the team when they set him up for victory last year.

I think it’s a bit much to credit all of that win to the team? He delivered the Giro victory for Visma, breaking the Finestre climb record in the process. I’d say the ledger was even? They did their job and he delivered.

 

[LongtimeLurker]

He was getting more than 1.5m at Jayco.

2021 both brothers shopped themselves to UAE for 2.5M each at the time.

 

[yaco]

2021 both brothers shopped themselves to UAE for 2.5M each at the time.

I believe Simon was on 1.8m or 1.9m at Jayco.

 

[Rob5091]

Dane wonders if there's more to Yates's retirement and wonders why Visma are not very upset with the decision -
https://sport.tv2.dk/cykling/2026-01-09-visma-stjernes-stop-saetter-spekulationer-i-gang

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-unhappy-with-simon-yates-surprise-retirement

Axelgaard repeatedly returned to the question of whether everything behind the decision has been made public. “I cannot help wondering whether there are other, untold reasons behind this,” he said. “That is of course, pure speculation.”
He stressed that he does not know what has happened behind closed doors. “Of course, we do not know the details and we do not know what has gone on behind the scenes,” he said, “but in any case it is a decision that has come suddenly.”
That suddenness shapes his judgement of how the team may view the situation. “That is why management also has reason to be unhappy with Yates’ decision,” Axelgaard said.

 

[tobydawq]

Dane wonders if there's more to Yates's retirement and wonders why Visma are not very upset with the decision -
https://sport.tv2.dk/cykling/2026-01-09-visma-stjernes-stop-saetter-spekulationer-i-gang

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-unhappy-with-simon-yates-surprise-retirement

What an oddly succinct article by him.

 

[Brullnux]

Kind of lame not to repay the team when they set him up for victory last year. Won't say they delivered it on a platter but Wout obviously did more than carry bottles.

If he actually cared about the 2026 giro so much, why not seek a transfer to another team?

Feels like it's probably a case of burnout and a contract that's not too lucrative to walk away from. Wonder what marketable skills he has developed in his life so far if he doesn't like talking in front of a camera and has been spending all his time exercising since he was 10. Edit: well I guess his peak earnings were around 1.5M/yr so he may have enough in the bank to just retire. Doesn't have the same taste in watches or cars as a MVDP.

I think it was likely a decision he toyed with last season, decided to give it another go, then midway through off season training/as it ramped up realised he couldn't mentally hack another year. Sometimes you have to try it before you really know. Visma do push their riders hard, after all.

 

[proffate]

He was getting more than 1.5m at Jayco.

He was reported to earn 1.6 in 2020 iirc.

These numbers should be public like in other sports but alas.

I think it’s a bit much to credit all of that win to the team?

Putting words in my mouth. But obviously vlab did more than Jayco had managed to do in many years.

 

[Peter von]

I think it was likely a decision he toyed with last season, decided to give it another go, then midway through off season training/as it ramped up realised he couldn't mentally hack another year. Sometimes you have to try it before you really know. Visma do push their riders hard, after all.

indeed. If he doesn't have the motivation to give his all in winter training, he isn't very useful to the team anyway.

Visma got a Giro win and TdF stage win out of his contract, that's pretty great value. If Jonas had been stronger SY would have had the opportunity to help out some more in july, but we can't really fault SY for his captain being second best.

 

[Berniece]

I think it's all about the Giro. He wanted to race it, and try to win it again, and then stop after TDF. Now that Vingegaard does Giro, they probably expect him to do Vuelta, which he doesn't want and would mean he has to keep riding and living professionally until September.

 

[Peter von]

I think it's all about the Giro. He wanted to race it, and try to win it again, and then stop after TDF. Now that Vingegaard does Giro, they probably expect him to do Vuelta, which he doesn't want and would mean he has to keep riding and living professionally until September.

Yeah could be, maybe it's a bit of both.

must be strange to have been the main guy on your team all career and then have to adjust late in career to a different hierarchy. He knew what he was getting into on an intellectual level, but how it truly feels and how you mentally responds to is must be an entirely different thing.

Then again i think it's not at all unlikely he just looked at the training plan one morning, looked at the winter weather, checked his savings account and said "sod it, not having this anymore".

 

[Vinther1991]

Dane wonders if there's more to Yates's retirement and wonders why Visma are not very upset with the decision -
https://sport.tv2.dk/cykling/2026-01-09-visma-stjernes-stop-saetter-spekulationer-i-gang

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-unhappy-with-simon-yates-surprise-retirement

Axelgaard is right. No matter how people here try to twist and turn and rationalize this announcement and its timing, it is really strange and can only suggest something being seriously off. Usually riders don't retire on a wimp just after a training camp and just after the transfer window has closed.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Axelgaard is right. No matter how people here try to twist and turn and rationalize this announcement and its timing, it is really strange and can only suggest something being seriously off. Usually riders don't retire on a wimp just after a training camp and just after the transfer window has closed.

the only people trying to twist anything are people like you.

 

[Red Rick]

Some rumors that he was struggling for motivation in the fall last year and that it simply never came back. He may have thought about retiring for a while, and only realized during the final training camp that he couldn't do that final contract year either. Also some rumors about him crashing in training in November.

It's obviously not fun for the team, but I doubt there's much need for worse interpretation than a rider that simply lost motivation at the end after unexpectedly fulfilling his dream after all.

Frankly I don't believe at all it's about Vingegaard racing the Giro.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Van Baarle says he and Simon Yates had issues with Visma training methods

Dylan van Baarle dishes it out on the front during stage 11 of last year’s Vuelta to Bilbao, with team mate Wilco Kelderman just behind (Photo: Antonio Baixauli) Dylan van Baarle, the Paris-R…

www.stickybottle.com

 

[Kazistuta]

the only people trying to twist anything are people like you.

So you don't find the timing odd? Have you ever seen examples like this in cycling?

 

[Red Rick]

Van Baarle says he and Simon Yates had issues with Visma training methods

Dylan van Baarle dishes it out on the front during stage 11 of last year’s Vuelta to Bilbao, with team mate Wilco Kelderman just behind (Photo: Antonio Baixauli) Dylan van Baarle, the Paris-R…

www.stickybottle.com

Did Visma put 'break a bone in every race' into DvB's training schedule?

 

[Tim Cahill]

Did Visma put 'break a bone in every race' into DvB's training schedule?

To be fair he was only injured a couple of weeks at the start of last year and he was still dog ***, hopefully QS have him on the Phil Gilbert prove it contract.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The Foodcoach app doesn't seem to improve bone density, but it can possibly make people more dense in general.

 

[HashRouge]

So you don't find the timing odd? Have you ever seen examples like this in cycling?

I don't find the timing that strange. Seems like he planned to continue for another year despite some doubts, went to the December team camp and realised that he just couldn't do another year.