Simon Yates could ride all three Grand Tours in 2019 as he considers Vuelta a España return
The Brit has already raced the Giro d'Italia and is now in the Tour de France
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Simon Yates could ride all three Grand Tours in a single year as he considers making a return to the Vuelta a España in August.
The Brit is currently racing his second three-week tour of 2019 at the Tour de France, after a disappointing tilt at the Giro d’Italia.
Mitchelton-Scott boss Matt White said the team had planned to take Yates to the Tour to support his brother Adam, but that selection depended on his form after the Giro.
After the Tour de France 2019 team time trial, Yates was asked if he would consider riding the Vuelta as well: “It would mean I’ve done four Grand Tours in a row, but why not?” he said.
Yates is the reigning Vuelta champion after his dominant performance in Spain last season, but struggled to perform in the Giro and had to settle for a top-10 finish.
At the Tour, Yates is adamant that he is racing in support of his twin brother Adam, appearing true to his word as he sat up and lost time on the stage two TTT and a punchy stage three.
On a possible Vuelta for Yates, sports director White said: “I won’t confirm or deny, but three Grand Tours in a year can be quite difficult.”
When asked if it had always been the plan to take Simon to the Tour de France, White said: “There was a plan in October but it was a plan that could only be carried out once we knew how he exited the Giro.
“Nobody is going to believe our plan until it happens. We’re not playing games, he’s here for the tail end of the race. We could have easily got him to the finish of stage two without losing any time but that wasn’t the way to get the most out of our TTT.”
>>> Sean Yates Tour de France column: Thomas is the proven champion, but Bernal can win this Tour
Mitchelton-Scott are in a reasonably strong position at the Tour, with Adam Yates sitting 22nd overall, 1-06 behind the leader Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), 41 seconds behind Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) and 21 seconds down on Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos).
Simon Yates is now 81st, 10-03 down on the yellow jersey.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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