Adam Yates satisfied with second to Tim Wellens in Montréal
British rider concedes Belgian breakaway partner was the strongest after two-up sprint in Canadian WorldTour race
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Britain’s Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) had to be satisfied with a second place finish in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal today after being squarely outsprinted to the line by breakaway partner Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal).
The Belgian rider led out the sprint at the end of a thoroughly wet and tortuously hard race but responded capably to Yates’ jump and powered past him for victory in the second of this week’s Canadian WorldTour races.
“It wasn’t just at the finish he was stronger but from the top of the climb all the way to the finish,” said Yates who broke clear on the last of 17 ascents of Mont Royal before being joined by Wellens near the top. “I can be pretty happy with second. I guess I’ll come back next year and try and go one better.”
Both riders broke clear from a small bunch of around 35 riders and were pursued right to the line by a splinter group led home by former world champion Rui Costa just two second behind.
“Tim came across to me and gave me a big turn straight away so was super strong,” said Yates. “All the run-in towards the finish he was doing the most work and doing the biggest turns.”
It initially looked like Yates might have played his cards perfectly in the sprint when he opened a good lead on Wellens.
However: “My legs were pretty dead,” the 23 year old from Bury said. “I was probably on the front for 100m but then he came back around me.”
While Orica-GreenEdge spent much of the race riding in the service of fast finisher Michael Matthews who took second in Friday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Yates had been given freedom to attack on the final lap of the 12km circuit.
His second-place follows another runner-up spot overall at last week's Tour of Alberta and a win in the Clásica San Sebastián last month.
Hailing from Limburg, 24 year-old Wellens is seen as something of an Ardennes Classic specialist, although today’s win constitutes his biggest one day victory yet.
Both he and Yates are expected to clash again when they target Il Lombardia in three weeks time.
Result
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (205.7km)
1. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal in 5-20-09
2. Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge at same time
3. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 0-02
4. Jan Bakelants (Bel) Ag2r La Mondiale at 0-04
5. Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto-Soudal at st
6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Lotto NL-Jumbo) at 0-05
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at st
8. Robert Gesink (Ned) Lotto NL-Jumbo) at 0-09
9. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC
10. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Garmin both at st
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
CW Live: Specialized axes women's kit brand Machines for Freedom; Dubai plots 93km climate controlled bike path; Milan-San Remo start moved and UAE Tour teams unveiled
We scour the internet for all the best bits from the world of cycling
By Vern Pitt • Published
-
Racing on a budget vs no expense spared - here's the difference money made to my cycling performance
Just how much faster could an average rider go if they had access to all the best aerodynamic kit and knowledge? Cycling Weekly Editor, Simon Richardson went to find out...
By Simon Richardson • Published
-
Adam Yates finishes Barcelona Marathon in under three hours
Yates posted an impressive time of 2:58:44 during this off-season activity
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Vuelta a España: Adam Yates says he’s struggled with jet lag after the Tokyo Olympics
The Brit tried to hit out on stage three after the disappointment of ‘silly crash’
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Home roads: Riding with the Yates brothers's first club
We head out for a spin with Bury Clarion, the club at which both Yates brothers first turned a crank in earnest, to trace the origins of our new Grand Tour stars
By Paul Knott • Published
-
Adam and Simon Yates will now both ride the Vuelta a España in pursuit of progression
Bonus extra grand tour for Adam after the Tour de France
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan • Published
-
Adam Yates: Britain's newest Grand Tour sensation
Before his breakthrough performance at the recent Tour de France, we sat down with Adam Yates to look at his career so far and where he hopes to go in the near future
By Richard Abraham • Published
-
Adam Yates frustrated with cancelled Tirreno-Adriatico stage
Orica-GreenEdge's Adam Yates climbed his way to ninth place at Tirreno-Adriatico in 2015, but with the cancellation of this year's mountain stage the Brit is frustrated he can't challenge for the title
By Gregor Brown • Published
-
Adam Yates aims for next 'big goal' in Tirreno-Adriatico
British Orica-GreenEdge rider Adam Yates is aiming for the top step of the podium in Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy this week
By Gregor Brown • Published
-
Adam Yates scores two top 10s in weekend's French races
British rider Adam Yates placed seventh and sixth behind double winner Petr Vakoc in the Classic Sud Ardeche and La Drome races in France over the weekend
By Nigel Wynn • Published