Simon Yates says he is ‘not interested in the Tour de France’ and that it doesn’t inspire the same passion at the Giro d’Italia for him.
The British star, who won his first Grand Tour last season, revealed he has no immediate plans to return to the Tour de France because he does not feel the same desire to win.
Yates, 26, came within two days of winning the 2018 Giro d’Italia before he fell out of contention dramatically on the penultimate mountain stage.
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He will return to the Giro this year to rid himself of the “bitter taste” that experience left.
In an interview with Spanish cycling website Ciclo21, the Mitchelton-Scott rider said: “You know what? I’m not interested in the Tour.
“I simply don't feel the same passion for it.
“I go to the Giro and I’m anxious to win. I go to the Vuelta and the same things happens – I think ‘I can't wait to start the race and try to win.’
“I don’t get that feeling when I ride the Tour.”
Yates, who won the Vuelta a España last season, is currently racing Ruta del Sol in support of his brother Adam and Jack Haig.
Ahead of his first race of the season, Yates said he was “ready to start racing again.”
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His 2018 season was a revelation, as he took his first Grand Tour win in Spain, after leading the Giro d’Italia for two weeks before falling out of contention dramatically on the penultimate mountain stage.
He left Italy with three stage wins, and the experience no doubt contributed to his victory in Spain four months later.
Yates is building his 2019 season around the Giro, as he heads to Paris-Nice next month, then the Volta a Catalyuna, before heading to Italy in May.
He is then expected to return to the Vuelta in August to defend his red jersey.
