Simon Yates secured his maiden Grand Tour victory on Sunday as he won the Vuelta a España for his Mitchelton–Scott team.
Yates, a former track rider whose road racing talents took him to the brink of victory at the Giro d’Italia in May, all but wrapped up the overall classification on Saturday after yet another strong finish on the Vuelta’s final mountain stage.
After a largely processional final stage to Madrid on Sunday, the 26-year-old Englishman triumphed with a winning time of 82 hours, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds. Enric Mas finished second overall, at 1:46 behind Yates, while Miguel Angel Lopez came in third to complete the podium. (Italian rider Elia Viviani claimed the race’s final stage in a bunch sprint to the finish line.)
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“It’s a really unbelievable experience,” Yates said. “You know, I was even nervous today coming into the circuit. Anything could happen, but now I finally pull it off, it’s unbelievable.”
Yates’ first Grand Tour win comes months after the stinging disappointment of losing the Giro d’Italia, having controlled that race for much of its opening two weeks. On that occasion, Team Sky leader Chris Froome capitalized on Yates’ collapse in the mountains to seal his third consecutive Grand Tour after winning the Tour de France and the Vuelta in 2017.
“I was very disappointed after the Giro,” Yates said. “It took a long time to really get over that, but I came here with renewed motivation and I finally pulled it off.”
Froome’s Grand Tour-winning streak came to an end in July, when teammate Geraint Thomas, who also honed his skills on the track, upset the Kenyan-born Briton to triumph at the Tour de France. Yates’ win on Sunday meant British riders have dominated all three Grand Tours in 2018.
Yates also took Britain’s impressive streak of consecutive Grand Tour victories to five—although it won’t be lost on cycling fans that his was the first British win outside of Team Sky. (Thanks to its considerable budget and ability to attract the best riders for specific roles and races, Sky is considered a dominating force in pro cycling.)
Sky, which formed on the back of the success enjoyed by Britain’s all-conquering world and Olympic track squad, would be forgiven for ignoring Yates’ obvious talents.
