Visma | Lease a Bike stayed calm as Simon Yates showed signs of cracking, teammates right where they needed to be
Cycling
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleBefore stage 11, Wout van Aert called it a surprise to see Simon Yates sitting fourth in the general classification after a week and a half of racing and two time trials. The 32-year-old Brit has quietly worked his way through the first week of the Giro d’Italia in a Visma | Lease a Bike squad where everything seems to click at just the right moment. And while Yates once again delivered in a tough stage 11, the team was especially encouraged by the strong climbing unit surrounding their leader.
ADVERTISEMENT
Van Aert’s comments to Sporza made perfect sense. The Giro had barely touched any long climbs so far, and time trials have never been Simon Yates’ strongest suit. But the 2018 Vuelta winner has been spinning the pedals with ease, and the team looked ahead to a tricky stage with growing confidence. The key test came on the Alpe San Pellegrino climb, around 90 kilometers into the stage, where the GC contenders had a chance to stretch their legs.
Yates slipped to the back of the group when Egan Bernal upped the pace, but he was never truly dropped. “Simon said over the radio early on that he was riding his own tempo, because the pace at the front kept surging and easing up. He figured he’d be fine riding steady, and when the pace settled again in the final 1.5 kilometers, he slotted back in quite comfortably,” explained sports director Marc Reef in an interview with IDLProCycling.com.
Read more below the photo.
Kruijswijk, Kelderman and Lemmen deliver for Visma | Lease a Bike
“It was a solid day for us,” said Marc Reef with a touch of understatement in a team press release. Visma | Lease a Bike’s climbing unit played a key role. “Bart, Steven and Wilco (Lemmen, Kruijswijk and Kelderman) were all in the breakaway. That gave us coverage for different scenarios. One of those was an attack on the San Pellegrino. In the end we had four riders among the best thirty.”
It was a tactical move that paid off. “The goal was to get Wilco, Steven and Bart over the first big climb with Simon so he would still have support later in the stage. They executed that plan perfectly. Bart and Wilco stayed with him until the final climb and dropped him off in a good position. From there it was up to Simon.” Yates delivered, finishing 15th on the stage and holding on to fourth overall. He now sits just 1:09 behind race leader Isaac Del Toro.
If all goes to plan, Yates should be able to defend his strong GC position in the coming days. The Giro now moves through central Italy with chances mainly for sprinters and strong finishers. The big mountain stages arrive in week three, where Yates will go head-to-head with a tightly packed top ten. Tenth-placed Thymen Arensman is still only 2:33 behind the pink jersey.
Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
IDL-productions
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Latest Cycling News
Tom Pidcock is finding it hard getting back on his bike after going through 'two sets of tires in three days' on vacation
Primoz Roglic's contract options continue to shrink, but a surprise new team enters the conversation
Disappointment at Lidl-Trek after Juan Ayuso's poor start: 'I don't know if it was a mental issue'
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Cycling transfers 2026/2027 | Cycling transfer market still in full swing in November
Popular Cycling News
Cycling transfers 2026/2027 | Cycling transfer market still in full swing in November
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Sven Nys spoke with Lucinda Brand straight after European Championship drama: 'Is that enough to ultimately relegate someone'
Fears of serious injury to Alvarado, bronze medalist, after the European Cyclocross Championships
Picnic PostNL's WorldTour uncertainty has five rival teams, and Tom Pidcock, watching the UCI closely
Latest Comments
- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Does XEFI’s investment mean the team will have more money to sign riders, or is it mainly a sponsorship and naming change? And is Roglič expected to race much next season?jeremya11-11-2026
- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
- Wuling is no joke—105 km of climbing to 3,275 metres is brutal. Five minutes off Dyball’s record is still an incredible ride.velodromevirtuoso111-11-2026
- Roglič at TotalEnergies would be a fascinating move, but Heulot sounds pretty clear that it isn’t happening. His experience could be a massive boost for the younger riders, though.jennifer1911-11-2026
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026