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Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Simon Yates rivals greatest British cycling triumphs by exorcising 2018 Giro demons
Simon Yates is not one to show much emotion. Both he and his twin brother Adam, a fellow pro rider, are famously, determinedly dour. But as the ticker tape flew in Rome on Sunday evening, and Yates held aloft the distinctive Trofeo Senza Fine awarded to the winner of the Giro d'Italia, this proud son of Bury could have forgiven himself a wry smile. Time, as they say, is a healer. Seven years ago, Yates had to watch as Chris Froome celebrated his own, extraordinary Giro d'Italia victory; a victory memorably forged on the Colle delle Finestre where Froome, then riding for Team Sky, put the entire field including Yates to the sword, going solo from 80km out. Yates, who had been in the pink leader's jersey for almost two weeks by that point, lost 38 minutes that day. It was a spectacular implosion. Some wondered whether he would ever recover. They breed them tough on the West Pennine Moors. Just three months later, Yates won his maiden grand tour, the Vuelta a España, with a display of consummate control, proving he had learnt from his experience. Whereas at that year's Giro Yates had attacked ceaselessly, grabbing seconds here and there, in Spain he rode with the caution of a grizzled veteran. Yates showed at this Giro that he is not yet done with the learning. The Briton's race-winning move on the Finestre on Saturday, the same mountain which had defeated him in 2018, was a triumph of planning, grim determination and mental fortitude. 'Once the route was released I always had it in the back of my mind that maybe I could come here and close the chapter,' Yates said on Saturday. He certainly did that. He wrote his own ending this time, although he would surely never have expected to write that he would one day meet the Pope wearing pink. The race stopped off at the Vatican while neutralised on Sunday morning for the champion-in-waiting to be greeted by Pope Leo XIV, with more than 150 riders being blessed as part of a two-mile route through the Vatican City. 'You are role models for young people all over the world,' Pope Leo told the peloton. 'May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d'Italia. Congratulations to all of you. May you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican. You are always welcome by the church, which represents God's love for all people.' Luckily Yates needed no divine intervention for his victory, rather he had his team to thank. Visma-Lease a Bike managed to get Wout van Aert of all people – probably the rider you would most want in the entire world to give you a tow – into Saturday's breakaway. Once Yates bridged to the powerhouse Belgian over the summit of the Finestre, a two-minute margin rapidly blew out to five minutes. Game over. Questions will continue to be asked of Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz. What was their Mexican standoff all about? What were their teams thinking? But to be honest, it did not look as if either of them had the legs to respond by that point. Like Yates in 2018, they had used up their reserves. In fact, it is tempting to imagine this was all part of Yates' strategy on Friday, when he lost 30 seconds on GC and complained bitterly the team had not ridden as he wanted. Was it all an elaborate rope-a-dope? Regardless, and with all due respect to his victory at the Vuelta in 2018, this is the finest achievement of Yates' career. It will not garner the attention that Froome's Giro win did in 2018, or even Tao Geoghegan Hart's surprise lockdown victory two years later. And it is not perhaps on the same level as the Tour de France wins by Bradley Wiggins, Froome and Geraint Thomas. The tour attracts the best in the world at their best, and this field did not contain a Tadej Pogacar or a Jonas Vingegaard. But it was still a magnificent achievement. One of the finest in British cycling history. Yates bided his time, stayed in touch, and when the chance came, he grabbed it with both hands. His ascent of the Finestre, 59:23 minutes at 6.20 ᵉW/kg, was the fastest ever recorded in a race, and the first under an hour. Yates does have one blip on his CV. His four-month ban for 'non-intentional' doping back in 2016 – he declared the use of terbutaline to treat asthma at a race but his team doctor failed to fill in the necessary form – was a major source of embarrassment for him and a stick with which cycling sceptics beat him for a time. Yates bounced back from that early experience to become one of the finest riders of his generation. A world points race champion on the track as a youngster, he now has two grand tour wins to his name. Not that he will shout about it. Yates has always left that to others, sometimes with amusing results. In 2018, the cycling media were so desperate to bestow a bit of colour on him, The Cycling Podcast took to calling him 'Il Sanguinaccio Volante' – the Flying Black Pudding – in honour of his hometown. At the Hare & Hounds in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, where his old Bury Clarion team-mates still meet, they will raise a glass to one of their own. And one suspects that will be enough for Yates.
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Post your questions for Luke Rowe
When it comes to professional bike racing Luke Rowe has been there, seen it, done it and bought the tight-fitting Lycra. A one-team man throughout his career, he rode for Dave Brailsford's former outfit in all its iterations – from Sky Procyling, Team Sky, Team Ineos to Ineos Grenadiers. The Welshman competed in eight consecutive editions of the Tour de France, from 2015 to 2022, and was a Team Sky road captain during their dominance of the world's greatest bike race, playing a part in five general classification victories: three for Chris Froome, one for Geraint Thomas and one for Egan Bernal. He also won stages at the Tour of Britain and and Herald Sun Tour and placed highly in one-day Classics such as Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Tour of Flanders. Rowe's memoir, Road Captain, will be published on 5 June. Is there anything you want to ask him about the cut and thrust of life in the pro peloton – or anything else? If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. You can ask Luke Rowe a question using this form. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. If you're having trouble using the form, click here.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Post your questions for Luke Rowe
When it comes to professional bike racing Luke Rowe has been there, seen it, done it and bought the tight-fitting Lycra. A one-team man throughout his career, he rode for Dave Brailsford's former outfit in all its iterations – from Sky Procyling, Team Sky, Team Ineos to Ineos Grenadiers. The Welshman competed in eight consecutive editions of the Tour de France, from 2015 to 2022, and was a Team Sky road captain during their dominance of the world's greatest bike race, playing a part in five general classification victories: three for Chris Froome, one for Geraint Thomas and one for Egan Bernal. Advertisement He also won stages at the Tour of Britain and and Herald Sun Tour and placed highly in one-day Classics such as Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Tour of Flanders. Rowe's memoir, Road Captain, will be published on 5 June. Is there anything you want to ask him about the cut and thrust of life in the pro peloton – or anything else? Send us your question If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. Callout If you're having trouble using the form, click here.
Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Mature Simon Yates must be bold if he is to silence demons of 2018
In an account of his grand tour of Italy in the 1760s, Edward Gibbon wrote that foreign travel was the only way to complete the education of an English gentleman. Perhaps it is not the type of education that Gibbon meant — not necessarily renaissance art or Roman ruins — but the 12 British riders at the Giro d'Italia are certainly learning something. Simon Yates, Tom Pidcock and Josh Tarling will have mostly been looking at the riders around them, at the tarmac ahead of them, and at the mountains to come in the final week. Tarling, 21, has taken a time-trial stage win, the youngest ever at the Giro; Paul Double, who started his first grand tour at the age of 28, has looked punchy in the breakaway; Mark Donovan has turned himself inside out for Pidcock. And Pidcock himself even rose briefly above Adam Yates in the general classification. But the quiet star has been Simon Yates, second in the overall standings behind Isaac del Toro. The 32-year-old from Bury has become something of a tragic hero in Italy after his doomed assault on the Corsa Rosa in 2018. It has since become 'the one that got away'. It was toward the end of Team Sky's domination. We had watched the new super team dominate the grand tours in their distinctive style: pace trains in the mountains, head down, watt-watching, marginal gains. It was a dominant method but, perhaps, a boring one for a spectator. Then in 2018 Yates, racing for Mitchelton-Scott, took the battle to the super team. The 25-year-old won three stages and wore the Pink Jersey from stage six until stage 19, just two days away from an overall win. On the Queen Stage between Venaria Reale and Bardonecchia, however, Yates cracked. He paid for the efforts of his attacking style. It had been exciting, but it was too much to maintain. Chris Froome attacked, the man from Bury broke on the Colle delle Finestre — where the race will return for stage 20 on Saturday — and that was that. Yates finished 21st, 1hour 15min 11sec back from Froome. And so the Giro remained unfinished business. He won the Vuelta a España in 2018 (and remains the only British grand tour winner outside of Team Sky/ Ineos Grenadiers) and he competed at the Tour de France, but there's always been a feeling that Yates must try again to win the Giro d'Italia. This year he came back as part of Visma-Lease a Bike, the Dutch super team of Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard. He has more support than he ever did at Mitchelton-Scott (now Jayco AlUla) and he is the sole leader. He is also now in his early thirties, with stage wins in all three grand tours and numerous other stage-race victories. He is very different to the 25-year-old he was in 2018 and it has shown already in this race. It has been a mature and quiet first two weeks for Yates. He has done nothing spectacular, but is in the right place at the right time. He has kept safe and remained in the lead groups. Short, sharp climbs are not for Yates and while we may have seen him gunning for stages in the past, this year he appears to be playing the long game, waiting for the mountains. On the bike he looks solid. He performed well in both time-trials — perhaps the purest way to check a rider's form — and in the climbs he has looked strong. Yates hasn't missed a lead group yet, nor has he emptied himself in search of an early stage win. Meanwhile, his team is also growing around him. Wout van Aert appears to be finally coming into some form after winning stage nine into Siena. And Olav Kooij's win on stage 12 into Viadana will also have bolstered the team's confidence. They are also united. Yates is the undisputed leader and he's in second place. Visma will do everything they can to look after him, although perhaps they lack a mountain domestique like Sepp Kuss at this race. Meanwhile, their main rivals, UAE Team Emirates, are in something of a predicament. Their original leader, Juan Ayuso, has dropped back to third, 1min 26sec from the race leader, his team-mate Del Toro. Ayuso has been caught out multiple times with bad positioning and has on occasion looked ragged. Del Toro has looked excellent, but occasionally isolated. It was through his own positioning and race craft that he made the key move on Saturday, when a crash mixed up the general classification, not his team looking after him. And on Sunday, he himself had to chase down attacks from the former Giro winners Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz. The issue is, perhaps, that Del Toro is an unknown quantity when it comes to a mountainous third week in a grand tour — that and Ayuso is the favoured child. UAE, then, will probably continue to hedge their bets, something Visma can play to their own advantage. If they can isolate Del Toro, or Ayuso, then some real damage can be done. There's no point being a super team if you're split in half. On the other hand, having two riders in the top three gives you cards to play against Yates. But so far, Del Toro seems to be doing it all himself. Yates has ridden a perfect, mature race so far. Now he'll have to deliver the performances, if indeed he does have the legs. A quiet two weeks for him has worked well, but you can't win the Giro d'Italia with whispers, he'll need to conjure his 2018 self to take on the Maglia Rosa. And what a story that would be. Seven years after Yates became the tragic hero of Italy, wouldn't it be wonderful if he could become just 'the hero'? Foreign travel completed the education of an English gentleman, now Yates has had plenty of that.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Heavy hangs the crown - sadness at Wiggins' troubles
The view from the ornate throne on which Bradley Wiggins sat in the blazing London summer sun in 2012 must have been glorious. To say all the planets had aligned for him would have been an understatement. He had become the first Briton to win the Tour de France. He had followed it with an Olympic time trial gold in his home city. It felt like the coronation of a king. Wiggins, then 32, glided to London 2012 glory under a constantly moving tifo of union flags and Olympic rings. By 2016, thanks largely to his many successes on the track, he would become Britain's most decorated Olympian thanks largely to many track successes. With sideburns and the sharpest mod feather cut, he even looked good in Lycra. And by the end of the year, he was endorsing his signature style on top clothing brands and choosing records with his icon Paul Weller on BBC 6 Music. It seemed as if he had it all. But then, when his career ended, came the cocaine addiction. In an interview with the Observer, Wiggins said of his post-career cocaine addiction: "There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning. "I was a functioning addict. People wouldn't realise - I was high most of the time for many years." Wiggins - a gangly north Londoner, from a broken home, brought up in poverty - made it to the very top of a sport that requires clinical preparation and a calm head under pressure. In interviews during his career, Wiggins exuded calm and charm. He seemed to have everything under control. And perhaps it was, with the hyper-organised, big-budget Team Sky around him between 2010 and 2015, run by Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth - with whom he would win the 2012 Tour, the 2014 world time trial championship and much more. Wiggins' talent and presence inspired the team to a period of domination in road cycling never before seen. But post-career, his troubles spiralled. In 2020, his marriage to Cath came to an end. They have two children: Ben - now a rider himself with Hamens Berman Jayco - and Isabella. Then came the collapse of Team Wiggins, which he had founded in 2015. The team lacked enough blue chip sponsors, despite having so many talented British riders. There was an awful more of Wiggins' own money invested in the team than most realised. That, and a cocaine addiction, would spell trouble for anybody's wallet - even a sporting icon. And Wiggins was declared bankrupt. "I already had a lot of self-hatred," said Wiggins of his post-career addiction. "But I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realised I was hurting a lot of people around me. "There's no middle ground for me. I can't just have a glass of wine - if I have a glass of wine, then I'm buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with." Mark Cavendish, another retired cycling great, told BBC Sport recently that he had shared many good times with Wiggins. "He's like a brother to me," Cavendish said. "He has an incredible personality, he's a brilliant friend, and to see his rise and for him to be part of my rise is something we can share forever - and he's someone who's very close to me." As Wiggins emerged as top-level cyclist, he became the focal point for what those following the sport hoped would be a new cleaner era. The scandal surrounding EPO, and Armstrong, was playing towards its conclusion. First there was a hard-fought fourth place at the 2009 Tour de France, just behind a fading Armstrong. Then the clean rider and ultra-clean Team Sky were soon at the top of the sport, winning seven Tours between 2010 and 2019. But, like, Armstrong before him, the questions came flooding in once the pedals had stopped turning. Nobody, least of all Wiggins, knew what was in a 'Jiffy bag' sent to him via Team Sky doctor at a race in 2011. Two investigations - by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee - failed to prove what was in the package. However, the report by MPs on the DCMS committee said Wiggins and Team Sky "crossed an ethical line" by using drugs allowed under anti-doping rules to enhance performance, instead of for medical reasons. "I would love to know one way or another what actually happened," Wiggins told Cycling Weekly. "The amount of times I then got asked 'what was in the package?' But I had absolutely no idea." The episode left a bitter taste for many. Fans and politicians came to understand how grey an area sports medicine can be. Pretty much the only thing professional cyclists agree upon is that time on the bike is time alone, away from it all, and a form of crucial therapy. For Wiggins, it mattered more than most, right from the start. The football fan from a crowded inner-London suburb known needed an escape during his youth. When his mother pointed him towards the TV to watch Chris Boardman take a very rare Olympic track cycling gold medal for Britain at Barcelona in 1992, he was hooked. Even if his estranged Australian father Gary had himself been a professional cyclist, this was Wiggins' journey. But it was a journey soured. Not only by Wiggins' father insisting he would be "never as good as your old man" after an ill-fated reunion during his teenage years; but also by Wiggins' admission that, during his early career, he was "groomed" sexually by a coach. Wiggins himself has asked whether there should be more support given to cyclists during and after their careers. A comparatively open sport, growing ever more globalised by TV money and new structure proposals, road cycling expects athletes to rinse themselves physically day after day, going "full gas" for six hours – something which many feel has to have an psychological and emotional impact. And he's not alone. British Cycling chief executive Jon Dutton has reached out to Wiggins, and the pair have discussed a number of things, according to sources. Wiggins was inducted into British Cycling's hall of fame last year, and the new leadership want to pay their respect to a past that yielded many Olympic gold medals and gave rise to an era on the road which changed the face of the sport forever. For Wiggins, change is coming – but one of his sources of help has raised eyebrows. The disgraced once seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong makes a habit of reaching out to the fallen, and is said to have offered to pay for Wiggins' latest round of rehabilitation. Armstrong has established his own media presence on the fringes of the sport he once had total control over. But he is a long way from being forgiven. Wiggins himself can rebuild bridges, and says he recently rediscovered his sense of peace from riding his bike alone. He may never return to the victor's throne, but being back in the saddle could be comfort enough.
