Simon Yates strolled into a packed Visma-Lease a Bike press conference on the eve of the Tour de France with most assuming he is set to play a supporting role to Jonas Vingegaard across the next three weeks.
Just weeks ago, the Bury-born rider dramatically turned the tables on Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the Giro d’Italia, banishing his demons on the Colle delle Finestre to pull the maglia rosa from the shoulders of the young Mexican at the last minute. But Yates has never realistically come close to winning the Tour; his teammate, Vingegaard, has won two.
