Mon, Jul 03, 2023 page7

• Adam Yates pips his twin in Tour opener

  • AFP, BILBAO, Spain
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates on Saturday won the opening stage of the Tour de France in Bilbao, outsprinting his twin brother, Simon Yates of Team Jayco Alula.

  The British twins had broken free at the top of the final climb and it soon became clear there was little will from those behind to chase over the final couple of kilometers.

  Two-time Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, also of UAE Team Emirates, came in third, 12 seconds adrift at the end of 182km circuit starting and ending in the Basque city.

  

  Cofidis’ Victor Lafay, left, UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogacar, center, and UAE Team Emirates’ Adam Yates on Saturday cycle the final ascent during the first stage of the Tour de France, which started and ended in Bilbao, Spain.

  Photo: AFP

  Pogacar raised his arms in triumph crossing the line, after seeing his newly recruited teammate take the win.

  “It was as if I had won the stage myself or in fact even better. It’s a dream to see the team developing like this,” said Pogacar, the champion in 2021 and last year.

  Adam Yates took both the first yellow jersey for the overall lead, and the first green jersey for sprint points.

  It was not the first one-two for cycling brothers, as Andy Schleck beat his brother Frank on stage 18 of the 2011 Tour de France.

  “Our parents are here too,” Adam Yates said after the stage. “I haven’t seen them yet, they’re somewhere along the coast in a campervan.”

  The younger by a few minutes, Adam Yates led an elite clique up the Sondika hill through a narrow passage formed by enthusiastic flag-waving fans before allowing Simon to do the work most of the way to the line.

  “He understood. I’m sure he’ll get his chance to be a pain in the ass along the road somewhere,” Adam Yates said of his brother. “He asked me this morning what our plans were, but I couldn’t tell him.”

  Simon Yates, long considered the better of the identical twins, is second in the overall standings, at 8 seconds, but appeared deflated after the finale.

  “I’ve a fantastic relationship with my brother. I’m really happy for him,” he said. “I’ll stick it to him in a couple of days.”

  After the bonuses, Slovenian Pogacar is third overall at 18 seconds. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is another 4 seconds off the pace after tailing the Slovenian all the way to the line, as he did when he wore down his rival last year.

  “The Tour de France won’t be decided on four seconds,” Vingegard said at the finish line.

  There seemed to be little love lost as Pogacar asked Vingegaard without success to help break away on the final hill, but they did manage to create a good time gap.

  The 2019 champion Egan Bernal, French former runner-up Romain Bardet, local hero Pello Bilbao and Australian hope Ben O’Connor all lost about 20 seconds to Pogacar and Vingegaard.

  Saturday’s race began under gray skies outside Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium before the riders were cheered round the countryside circuit by enthusiastic crowds.

  Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz of EF Education - Easypost and Spaniard Enric Mas of the Movistar Team had hopes of contending for the final podium in Paris, instead both were forced out after being involved in the same crash toward the end of the stage.

  Carapaz, the 2019 Giro d’Italia winner, finished the stage despite a bloodied left knee that was later confirmed to have “a small fracture,” while Mas withdrew immediately after breaking his right shoulder.

  The streets along the route were decked out with the Basque white, green and red flags as the Tour de France yellow was for once eclipsed.

  Dane Vingegaard of Jumbo Visma led the peloton past the landmark Guggenheim museum before a breakaway formed as the peloton swept into pine and fir forests on the rolling green hills that mark this Atlantic coast region.

  US rider Neilson Powless took the polka dot jersey for best climber after winning the race to the top of the penultimate hill.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    China ship used Taiwan ports for months

  • 2

    Japanese ship makes first solo trip through the Strait

  • 3

    Taiwan mulls stricter citizenship rules

  • 4

    Award winner and singer-songwriter Khalil Fong passes away at age 41

  • 5

    Taiwan to keep advanced chip tech