Sean Yates dismisses claims that 2016 Tour de France was 'boring'
'When you’ve got the big leader and a strong team then things normally fall into place' says former Tour de France rider and Tinkoff sports director Sean Yates

Tinkoff sports director Sean Yates has rubbished conjecture that this year’s Tour de France was boring due to his former team Sky’s dominance that has all but delivered its leader Chris Froome to a career third title ahead of a procession to Paris today.
Yates was instrumental in Sky’s first Tour victory in 2012 with Bradley Wiggins so is familiar with the inner workings of the squad creating an ‘era’ with its four Tour de France victories in five years.
“It’s pretty much the same as every other year,” Yates said. “The Merckx years, Hinault years, Indurain years, everyone knew who was pretty much going to win and it just panned out that was the case. We’ve had a few upsets, not many.”
Over the past few years Sky has recruited and nurtured a barrage of climbers, including Wout Poels, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve and Mikel Landa. The quartet were instrumental to the team’s collective strength alongside other familiar faces including Geraint Thomas, who equalled a personal career best 15th overall.
“Success breeds success and when you’ve got the big leader and a strong team then things normally fall into place, unless you have an upset,” Yates said. “I wouldn’t say it’s any more boring than any other years and I wouldn’t say it’s particularly boring.
“When you compare it maybe to the Vuelta or the Giro it’s less exciting because nine times out of 10 there’s more of a battle for the finish because the teams are less strong, it’s not the biggest event.”
Tinkoff had designs on breaking Froome at the 103rd edition with the champion Spaniard Alberto Contador, whose Tour ended through crash-related injury on stage nine.
The team in its final year on the WorldTour celebrated a successful campaign despite the loss. World champion Peter Sagan, who claimed three stages, has all but won the green jersey for a fifth consecutive year with Rafal Majka poised take out the mountain classification.
“At the second rest day we were top of the earnings list so that means we were the most successful team. Obviously when the final GC is done and dusted, Sky will be the number one team and we will be second, which means we’ll be the second most successful. We’ve certainly been animating the race and all the race winning moves that go to the end,” Yates said.
Thank you for reading 5 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
Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, television reporter and presenter, who has provided coverage for Cycling Weekly from races across the world. She has covered eight Tours de France, as well as reporting for national and international newspapers as well as other magazines.
Follow Sophie Smith on Twitter and Instagram:
Instagram: sophiesmith86
Twitter: @SophieSmith86
-
-
Motorway cyclist arrested for causing danger to road users and suspected possession of Class A drugs
The rider was on the M3 in the early hours of the morning
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan • Published
-
Five talking points from stage eight of the Giro d'Italia 2022
What we learned from an exciting day of intense action
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Chris Froome: Being competitive at Tour de France would be a 'dream scenario'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider on being back at his normal level, appreciating his past, and aiming to have form late into the season
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Chris Froome set for 2022 race debut in Italy
The four-time Tour de France winner will return to racing at the Coppi e Bartali next week
By Richard Windsor • Published
-
Chris Froome claims 'racing has become more dangerous' due to 'abundance of data'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider suggests cycling performance has drastically improved since he became a professional, but not necessarily for the best
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Chris Froome says time trials should be raced on road bikes to improve safety
The four-time Tour de France champion gives his thoughts in light of Egan Bernal's recent training crash
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'We need to see results from him': Israel-Start Up Nation expect Chris Froome's form to improve as they target a place among the super-teams
The four-time Tour winner will have to prove his form if he wants to be on the startline of the 2022 edition
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Star-studded field set to ride the Deutschland Tour 2021
The German race has attracted a large amount of big-name riders who aren't riding the Vuelta a España
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Chris Froome set to miss Vuelta a España, according to reports
The seven-time Grand Tour winner battled through the Tour de France despite an early crash
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Chris Froome and Philippe Gilbert save fan who fell down ravine on Tour de France stage 17
The incident occurred on the descent of the Col du Portet as the riders made their way back to the buses
By Jonny Long • Published