Despite finishing in the select group of general classification riders on the Tour de France’s first mountain stage, Adam Yates has reiterated that stage honours as opposed to a high overall placing remains his priority during this year’s race.
The Orica-BikeExchange rider is currently 13th on GC after five stages and on the same time as favourites Chris Froome (Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar).
The Lancastrian, however, stated before the Tour that a top-10 in the GC was not his aim and that hasn’t changed despite faring well on stage five in the Massif Central, two days before the first collection of mountain stages in the Pyrénées.
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However, he is adamant that he will not forfeit time just to enhance his prospects of stage victory – a tactic seemingly employed by Tinkoff’s Rafal Majka.
“I’ll just try and stay up there [GC] as long as possible and try to take that stage win,” the 23-year-old said.
What can the riders expect on Mont Ventoux?
“I’m not going to lose time on purpose. It’s bad for your head and bad mentally to do that.
“It’s all about saving energy. If you spend your bullets too early, then one day you suffer and can lose minutes, not seconds.
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“The GC has started to come together already. It’s not like people are making big moves, it’s just coming together.”
Asked if he would reconsider his GC ambitions, he replied: “In Paris! Stage 17, 18, and 19 are all real savage and anything can happen. If I have a bad day I can lose 20 minutes. That’s what can happen.”
