“Finishing first second in a Tour de France stage with his brother is sure that few people can tell that! It was incredible.” Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) was a happy athlete a few minutes after a totally unexpected duel in Bilbao between him and his brother for the stage victory. And this, even if his joy contrasted with the legitimate disappointment of his twin, second. In the last kilometers, the two men engaged in a family standoff which turned in favor of the lieutenant of Tadej Pogacar to the detriment of the team rider Jayco Alula.
“Simon did a lot of work on the descent and he was the one who rode in front most of the time”, admitted the former Ineos team, who had not yet decided on his five-man strategy. kilometers from the finish before Tadej Pogacar, the leader, decides by radio. “I received a call from Tadej through the headset who told me to go all out,” admits the Briton, who carried out the orders without flinching.
And too bad for the twin brother, with whom he rode in the colors of the Mitchelton-Scott team between 2018 and 2020. There was no room for feelings when it came time to strike. “He’s a professional runner, like me. We know perfectly well what we had to do and we each have our interests to defend”, added the winner of the day, who deliberately did not take over during the breakaway in order to save himself. Because Adam, unlike his brother Simon, is aiming for a place in the Top 5 in Paris.
“As soon as we got out of the peloton together I told him I couldn’t work,” Adam said. And to add: “Without doing it on purpose, I had saved energy for the last climb because I had not taken over”. A management of the effort that paid off in the capital of Biscay, under the eyes of the parents who had traveled to Spain in a motorhome. “We didn’t know exactly where they were on the course. It is sure that they must be super happy, ”rejoiced the yellow jersey. From Sunday, he will put himself at the service of Tadej Pogacar and will put on his lieutenant’s costume again to serve “the strongest runner in the world” and help him in his quest for final victory in Paris. And if he can one day render a little service to the brother in the days to come, then the success would be total.
