Stage 15 of the Tour de France saw Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) become an almost unintentional protagonist in the ongoing general classification battle for third place, after the Briton first laid down a searing pace for teammate and overall contender Tadej Pogačar and then briefly, and unexpectedly, left the Slovenian behind.
In the maillot jaune after winning the opening stage in Bilbao, Yates' aggressive move on Sunday was later explained by lead sports director Joxean Fernández Matxin as being part of a strategy for Pogačar to bridge across, even if the Briton’s gaining time on GC was also an added benefit.
