Simon Yates laughed when Cyclingnews suggested he was the meat in the UAE Team Emirates-XRG sandwich, but after Primož Roglič lost 1:30 on stage 15 at the Giro d'Italia, the Briton is now the biggest threat to race leader Isaac del Toro and his teammate Juan Ayuso, who sits third.
Contrary to Roglič and others, Yates has quietly stayed in contention at the Giro. He limited his losses in the first week, on the gravel stage to Siena and in the Pisa time trial. He moved up to sixth in Siena, then fourth in Pisa and then second in Gorizia, after his Visma-Lease a Bike team helped him avoid the crash and then gain time.
Only Del Toro has bettered him and leads Yates by 1:20. Ayuso is six seconds behind him, with Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) the best of the rest at 2:07 and 2:54, respectively.
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"Hopefully no bad luck comes my way, which often does," Yates said beyond the finish in Asiago, acknowledging his Grand Tour pain and disappointment of the past.
The third week is still to come. I'm trying to stay focused and out of trouble. That's it. It's been a good race so far, but I don't know what's to come."
Yates speaks from experience. He seems mentally and physically stronger and calmer this year after moving from Jayco Alula to Visma-Lease a bike, but he has not forgotten the problems and misfortune that have hit his Grand Tour career.
After winning the 2018 Vuelta a España, Yates rode the Giro five times between 2018 and 2022 and won six stages. He was third overall in 2022, but in 2018, he wore the maglia rosa for 13 days only to be hit by illness and so was unable to chase Chris Froome when attacked alone on the Colle delle Finestre.
He finished fourth in the 2023 Tour de France and 12th last year, before joining Visma-Lease a Bike as team leader for the Giro.
He had a good winter but then got sick before Tirreno-Adriatico. He was hit by a car during a Mount Teide training camp but is hoping his bad luck is done for a while.
Yates faces a huge task to take on UAE in the final week of the Corsa Rosa, including his twin brother Adam, who, in theory, has protected status alongside Del Tor and Ayuso. However, he is perfectly placed and is starting to think about how he can challenge for victory.
Stage 20 returns to Colle delle Finestre and is the last major climb of this year's Giro. Revenge would be particularly sweet there, but true to character, Yates refused to get carried away. He is probably going to play a waiting game, while looking for chinks in UAE's armour.
"They looked strong and also had a lot of guys there in the final to control things," he said of UAE's performance on the ride to Asiago. "Of course, that's nothing new. We'll try to come up with something, but who knows?"
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