Simon Yates wins Prueba Villafranca-Ordizia Klasika race in Spain

British Orica-BikeExchange rider Simon Yates wins the hilly Prueba Villafranca-Ordizia Klasika one-day race in Spain on Monday

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) has won the Prueba Villafranca-Ordizia Klasika one-day race in Spain on Monday.

Yates took a solo victory in the hilly UCI 1.1-ranked race hosted by the Basque Country, which comprises 165.7 kilometres and seven categorised climbs. Yates attacked on the final climb.

The 23-year-old Bury man won ahead of defending 2015 champion Angel Madrazo (Caja Rural) with Alexander Vdovin (Lokosphinx) in third. British climber Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural) placed fifth.

Yates returned to racing at the Tour of Poland on July 12 after serving a four-month ban for an anti-doping violation.

Campeonato de España CRI

Campeonato de España CRI
(Image credit: Luis Angel Gomez)

It's the first time that a British rider has won the race, with past winners including Joaquim Rodriguez (2007), Alejandro Valverde (2003) and Gorka Izagirre (2010, 2012, 2014).

His victory comes after twin brother Adam Yates, who also rides for Australia team Orica-BikeExchange, placed fourth overall at the Tour de France and claimed the white jersey of best young rider.

Both Adam and Simon are scheduled to take part in Saturday's Clasica San Sebastian WorldTour race in Spain. Adam Yates won the event last year, and therefore returns as defending champion.

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.