Brotherly rivalry in the shadow of Vingegaard and Pogacar: "I want to be there for Jonas the way my brother is there for Tadej"

Yates is already deep into his second training camp with his new team. "I’m really looking forward to this year. So far, it’s been a great experience. I see this team as highly professional and well-organized. They pay close attention to details, which was exactly why I wanted to join. I believe that’s an area where I can still improve," he said.

"The biggest difference is the size of the organization," Yates said, comparing Visma | Lease a Bike to his former team, Jayco AlUla. "There are so many people in various roles, and they’re focused on every detail." But that was precisely what he was looking for. "I wanted a change and to become the best version of myself, to return to the highest level. This team is very successful and was also looking for someone with my qualities, so I think it’s a great match."

"I just want to be the best Simon I can be," he said. "I’m not the youngest anymore, and I didn’t want to end my career with regrets, so that’s why I made this change. If I had retired without experiencing how it works in a big team, I would’ve regretted it later. That was my inspiration. I still feel young and highly motivated to chase big goals. I’m not thinking about the end of my career yet."

The man from Bury shares his major goals for 2025. "I’ll likely start in Tirreno-Adriatico, a race I’ve won before. It’s always a fun race. After that, I’ll ride Catalunya, which feels almost like a home race for me. Then I’ll train until the Giro, which I’m really looking forward to. This approach works well for me: focusing on my altitude training and then racing hard straight away. We’ll see if it pays off, but I’m really excited about it."

"The Giro will be the biggest goal of my year. It’s a race I have a lot of history with, but I’d like to give it another shot," said Yates, who has yet to win the Giro. "With this change and all the marginal gains, I think I can aim for a good result again. What that result will be, I don’t know yet, but I want to make an impression there. After that, I might also ride the Tour, where we’ll aim to outsmart Tadej Pogacar with Jonas Vingegaard."

"After the Giro, there won’t be much time to rest, as the team’s altitude camp will follow shortly after," the 32-year-old climber explained. "But hopefully, I can show up at the Tour in good form. I’ll need to perform in the critical moments there. I’ve done two Grand Tours in a season before, so it’s not as intimidating anymore. I’m mostly looking forward to it."

"I’m excited to ride alongside Jonas. Tadej was, of course, the best last year, but if you look at where Jonas started from… there’s still room for improvement there too," Yates analyzed. He’ll also be going up against his brother Adam, who rides in support of Pogacar. "I really want to be there for Jonas and play the same role my brother does for Tadej, so it’s shaping up to be an exciting rivalry. We haven’t raced against each other all that often, but that will change this year. Let’s see who does better," he laughed.