Adam Yates is hoping his difficult 2025 will be turned around in 2026, with an earlier than usual start at the Tour Down Under followed up with a defense of his 2024 and 2025 titles at the Tour of Oman.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG all-rounder has become a pillar of the team's regular line-up, racing for Tadej Pogačar or as a leader in his own right in many races. But he told Cyclingnews before the start of the last WorldTour race of the Australian summer, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday, that he had "done a bit too much in general" in 2025, and so was hoping to ease back slightly on his program.
That said, Yates opted to do the Tour Down Under for the first time in his career in January having had holidays in Australia during the off-season. In addition and given there have been more than a few injuries in his squad - overall Down Under winner Jay Vine who fractured his wrist, 2025 champion Jhonatan Narváez and teammate Mikkel Bjerg and Stake Vegard Laengen were also out - Yates said that a previously unexpected start in the UAE Tour was now possible.
However, after the Middle Eastern Block of races, starting with the Muscat Classic on Friday, then the Tour of Oman on Saturday, he would then try to taper down prior to rebuilding towards the Giro and Tour.
"As a family we wanted to have a little short break, and Australia is obviously your summer right now, so we came out to enjoy the good weather and enjoy the lifestyle out here," the 33-year-old told Cyclingnews.
"Then I enjoyed myself so much I asked the team if I could start down here, and the condition was good, the legs were good, it was a good idea to start. Plus we managed to win with Jay [Vine] already. So it's been a good start to the year," Yates said.
From the Australian block of racing, Yates has now headed towards Oman, which he won in 2024 and 2025 thanks to attacks on the traditionally decisive Jabal Al Akhdar [Green Mountain] ascent. From then on, his program is a little more uncertain before the Giro d'Italia start in May.
"We've got quite a few guys injured, and we've had quite a bit of bad luck. So think I'm down for UAE Tour as well, which extends the time away from home.
"But in the end, the legs have been quite good. So, you know, you've got to race when the condition is good, and we'll see how it goes."
Seventh on the crucial Uralda stage of the Tour Down Under - where Vine effectively laid the main foundation of his victory - then 19th in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race, Yates said that after a fair amount of racing early on in 2026, he would as he put it, "shut it down a little bit.
"I'll have a short break and then rebuild towards the Giro and Tour because last year I wasn't at my best.
"I think I just raced a bit too much, trained a bit too much, I was just doing a bit too much in general.
"So I've started strong here, and then I'll taper off and have a good rest, and then return to the level that I know I can be at."
Yates pointed out that while the Tour Down Under is in January, it is anything but a training race, with every day "full gas." Then the wind and the climbing towards the end of the Cadel Evans race made it a very hard final circuit.
"Then obviously, with all the travel as well, the jet lag and all the stuff, it adds up and it can bite you in the ass. So you have got to be careful."
