‘Perfect week for us’ – Adam Yates takes overall win in Romandy

Adam Yates claimed his first overall title since joining the Emirates team this season when he finished safely in the closing stages of the Tour de France, which was won by Movistar’s Fernando Gaviria. The 30-year-old Briton donned the yellow jersey after winning Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to the Thyon 2000 ski stop, finishing 19 seconds ahead of Gaviria’s team-mate Matteo Jorgensen, Bahrain victor Damiano Caruso was third and promising 20-year-old Briton Max Poole (DSM Racing) was fourth.

“Thanks to the guys, they controlled the race perfectly today,” said Yates, who made his debut on the Swiss stage, joking that he was happy to finish with a 100 percent win record. “It’s been a perfect week for us, winning two stages and the overall win, so we couldn’t ask for more,” he added, whose mountain victory came after teammate Juan Ayuso topped the 19km time trial. Fast second day.

Romandie was Yates’ first competitive game since March’s Volta a Catalunya, where he was hamstrung by an injury sustained in a car crash on Opening Day. “Winning here was my plan after a short break to give me a chance to recover from the crash in Catalonia,” said the Emirati climber. “We knew I could win a big mountain day. It was easier said than done and harder to put all the pieces together, but in the end we did it.

Yates will now turn his attention to preparing for the Tour de France, where he will resume his supporting role for two-time champion Tadej Pogačar. “I’ll take a little rest now and then maybe do some elevation and then we’ll gradually get me a little bit better and hopefully get ready for the big goal of the Tour de France,” he said.

Gaviria, who signed a one-year deal with Movistar after leaving the Emirates in the off-season, scored a second win for Spain with a shrewd dash. With 300 meters to go, the Colombian accelerated forward, entered the right-hand corner, and exited the corner with a clear lead. The win, his first on the WorldTour since the 2021 Tour of Poland, brings him to 51 career victories, tying Nairo Quintana for the leading title in Colombia’s history .