Adam Yates has ridden many thousands of kilometres with his identical twin Simon, as boys growing up in Bury, on the boards of the Manchester Velodrome and together for six years at Australian team Orica-GreenEdge. But none had ever been so consequential as the final eight kilometres here in Bilbao, with a Tour de France stage win on the line as well as the prestige of the yellow jersey.
Adam led the peloton up a gruelling final climb to set up an attack by his UAE Emirates teammate Tadej Pogacar, one which the reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard repelled. But when Yates flew past them going down the other side and looked around, he found himself out at the front with only his brother Simon for company.
“At first I didn’t want to work with him,” Adam said of his twin, who rides for Jayco–AlUla. “I asked my team on radio and they said, yeah, go for it.”
Any other duo might have been caught in that final stretch by what remained of the peloton, only 10 seconds behind them. But the Yates twins slipped into a seamless groove, taking turns to pull the other into clear air and up the slight drag towards the finish line in the east of the city. There it was Adam who had the stronger legs, and he threw out his arms to celebrate his triumph as his brother slumped in the background.
The 30-year-old Yates brothers may not be household names at home like Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, yet they have long been outstanding road racers with impressive palmares. Simon has shone in the three grand tours especially, winning the Vuelta a Espana in 2018 and collecting 10 individual stages across the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, while Adam has been successful with a raft of stage races and classics wins – this was his first grand tour stage.
Adam has always been a little punchier than Simon and less of a natural climber, and he admitted he almost lost his brother’s wheel as the road steepened in the final kilometre. Once it flattened near the finish, it was always likely to go Adam’s way.
They may have worked together here but this was certainly no pre-designed collusion. The pair have always been quick to point out that professional duty comes before their family relationship, and besides, they are fiercely competitive; having an identical twin will do that to a person.
"I have a fantastic relationship with my brother so I’m really happy for him and I’ll stick it to him in the coming days,” Simon said. “Over the top of the final climb there was a bit of cat and mouse, Adam came back, he sort of rolled to the front and gave Pogacar the nod as if to say ‘can I go? What’s the situation?’ So he’s gone and I’ve gone across to him and that’s all she wrote really.
“At first when [Adam] saw it was me coming across he was put in a difficult situation maybe. He asked on the radio straight away ‘what can I do? Can I roll through?’
“Normally in a finish like that I wouldn’t beat Pogacar or Vingegaard or these guys in a real fast sprint, so to get away with Adam, I thought maybe there is a chance. It was pretty close, but I had some cramps in the final, it’s a really humid day, so unfortunately he got the better of me, but I’m sure there’s more chances coming up.”
Adam Yates follows his brother Simon towards the finish line in Bilbao— (Pool via Reuters)
Simon Yates crosses the line in second place— (Reuters)
For better or worse, their careers have been played out in the context of brotherly love and sibling rivalry. Barely an interview goes by without a question to one about the other, and so perhaps it was something of a relief when Adam switched to Ineos in 2021 for a fresh challenge.
His time there was by no means a failure but he has kicked into a new gear at UAE Emirates, winning the Tour de Romandie earlier this year and finishing runner-up to Vingegaard in the Criterium du Dauphine last month. He feels valued at UAE Emirates and his form has been so impressive that the team announced he would be a co-leader alongside two-time champion Pogacar at this Tour.
As Ineos have found in the past, the multi-pronged approach to the Tour de France can cause friction in a group. But after the stage, Adam was quick to shut down any talk of anything other than serving Pogacar’s ambitions of glory. “I’m here to look after Tadej, the boss,” Yates said. “Some people doubted having two guys as leaders but I’m not really a leader, I’m 100 per cent for Tadej.”
Could wearing the yellow jersey – the thing Pogacar most desires – become awkward further down the line? “Being in the yellow jersey is never a problem. It’s an honour and privilege. He’s shown he’s the best rider in the world at all disciplines, and we’re going to help him win.”
So perhaps Adam is not a contender but a Trojan Horse, out to take Vingegaard’s eye off the road. Whatever his true purpose, Adam will get to wear the yellow jersey on the start line of stage two and perhaps beyond, thanks to a twin-engine assault on stage one.
