Simon Yates already spoke of a ‘tough transition’ even before losing time and after a rough winter: "Visma | LAB quite intimidating"

It took three months of waiting, but this week, Simon Yates is finally making his debut in the colors of Visma | Lease a Bike at Tirreno-Adriatico. The 32-year-old Brit left the familiar environment of Jayco-AlUla this winter for an entirely new adventure with the Dutch team. And it has been quite an adjustment, as Yates openly admitted in an honest conversation with IDLProCycling.com. After a tumultuous winter, his top form is not quite there yet in Italy.

Yates’ move to Visma | Lease a Bike was far from ordinary. Since 2014, the climber had been part of the Australian GreenEDGE setup, where he achieved remarkable results. His 34 professional victories include major highlights like winning the 2018 Vuelta a España, multiple stage wins in all three Grand Tours, and overall victories in prestigious stage races such as Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps. However, with his contract expiring, Visma | Lease a Bike came knocking...

While Jayco-AlUla quickly secured Ben O'Connor as Yates’ replacement, the Dutch team wasted no time integrating their new super-domestique for Jonas Vingegaard. In this year’s Giro d’Italia, Yates will also get the opportunity to chase his own GC ambitions. "I really want to be there for Jonas and play the same role my brother (Adam Yates, ed.) does for Tadej Pogacar, so that will be an exciting rivalry," the Visma half of the Yates twins previously said.

For that, there’s still some progress to be made, as Yates is clearly not riding with super legs in the Tirreno-Adriatico. His time trial on day 1 was decent, but on a soaking wet third stage, he lost 31 seconds to the lead group. "We didn’t expect Simon to lose time. That’s really a tough pill to swallow," the team admitted after the stage. However, this isn’t entirely surprising if we take a look at the interview below, where he discusses his first winter in Visma’s yellow and black.

Read more below the photo.

Yates began his Visma chapter in the Tirreno this week after a winter full of setbacks

Simon Yates on setbacks, challenges at Visma | Lease a Bike, and building towards the Giro

Simon Yates, we heard about a crash and some illness—so it wasn’t the perfect winter for you?

"It definitely could have been better. Unfortunately, I had a small accident with a car in Tenerife, which required some stitches in my left shoulder. It wasn’t broken, but I still had to take a break from riding. Then, unfortunately, I got sick on top of that. It seems to be part of life for me these days, but I’m just happy that we’ve started the season and I can finally get going."

During the team presentation, you mentioned that you specifically wanted to join Visma | Lease a Bike because of the details you felt you were missing. Can you explain what those were?

"Visma | Lease a Bike has proven itself at the top of this sport, and I felt like I was falling behind a bit. That’s why I wanted to join one of the biggest teams in the world—to learn how to do everything at the highest level. Hopefully, that works out for me this year."

You spent so many years at Jayco-AlUla, and you’ve always been known as someone who likes to keep things the same. How were those first few weeks in a new team for you?

"I’m not going to lie: it wasn’t an easy transition. I’ve done everything a certain way for a long time, so having to change everything now was definitely a challenge. I’ve done my best, and hopefully, I’ll see the sacrifices I’ve made pay off in my performances."

Are there a few specific things you had to embrace when joining a new team?

"Phew, honestly, everything was new. But at the end of the day, it’s still just cycling, right? The approach is different, and especially the size of the organization—I felt that from the start. That was quite intimidating, but I’ve tried to embrace it."

You and your brother Adam talk every day. Did his move to UAE Team Emirates-XRG make you question whether you also needed to take a step up?

"It wasn’t necessarily the motivation to change teams. I was happy at Jayco-AlUla, where I could do everything my way. But when the opportunity came up, I felt confident that it could be the right choice. You’re joining a big team, and Adam has taken a big step forward at UAE. Hopefully, I can do the same."

How did your body react to all these changes?

"Pretty well, although the build-up to the season was very different. In recent years, I often raced at the Tour Down Under, which was an important goal for Jayco-AlUla. This winter was completely different."

Was it mentally tough to wait so long for your official start?

"I actually enjoyed it—taking my time to build up compared to previous years. Maybe that made me a bit rusty. Unfortunately, bad luck followed me to Visma | Lease a Bike, and I’ve had some setbacks."

Were there things about this team that really surprised you?

"Nothing immediately comes to mind. It’s just a very organized and well-structured team."

And if everything goes well from now on, how strong will Simon Yates be in the Giro d’Italia?

"Ask me that again at the start, haha!"

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])     

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