All Systems Go as Yates Targets Giro d'Italia

den 2 maj 2022

Simon Yates rolls into the first grand tour of the season riding a wave of momentum after winning two out of three stages at his final tune-up race, the Vuelta Asturias in Spain. The Team BikeExchange-Jayco rider has marked the Giro d’Italia, which kicks off Friday in Budapest, as one of his top goals for 2022.

Riding his Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc team bike with a CADEX WheelSystem, Yates won Stage 1 and Stage 3 at the Vuelta Asturias, a mountainous three-day stage race that offered a hint at which riders are on form for the three-week Giro d'Italia. 
 
Yates’s teammates played a big role in his success at Asturias, covering breaks and setting up their team leader to make the winning moves. On Stage 1, Yates attacked on the final climb to beat second-place finisher Vincenzo Albanese by 14 seconds.
 
“In the finale, we kept the pace high to avoid some attacks and be in the top positions at the start of the last climb,” Yates said. “[My teammate] Damien Howson made a move, got a gap, and then I attacked over the top. The sensations are good, and the legs responded very well.”
 
Yates backed that victory with another win on the final stage. Once again, his teammates put him in position to make the winning move.
 
“They controlled all day, set me up well for the final attack on the last climb,” Yates said. “So it all went to plan and now we are looking forward to the Giro, which starts already in five days.”
 
The team’s head sports director Matt White said the three days in Spain served as a confidence builder heading into the Giro.

“The Giro d’Italia has been a big, big goal for the team over the last few years and this year is no different,” White said. “We have a really good squad with a lot of experience in grand tours, and we will go into the Giro as one of the favorites for the race. Simon is coming off Vuelta Asturias, and it was good preparation for him and for the rest of the team after an altitude block.”
 
Yates enters the 105th edition of the Corsa Rosa with the form and the experience to aim for the win. In 2018 he won four stages at the Giro and spent 13 days in the maglia rosa leader’s jersey. Last year he finished third overall.
 
The Brit will be supported by a well-balanced squad. Protecting their leader throughout the race will be Australian road captain Michael Hepburn along with experienced riders Callum Scotson, also Australian, and Chris Juul-Jensen of Denmark. U.S. and Italian time trial champions Lawson Craddock and Matteo Sobrero add more firepower, while the Australians Damien Howson and Lucas Hamilton will provide critical support on the climbs.
 
“From the start in Hungary to the last stage in Verona on May 29, the road will be long and tough, but I’m ready and I will have some great teammates with me,” Yates said.
 
All of the Team BikeExchange-Jayco riders will have a full selection of CADEX WheelSystems to ride throughout the Giro, including CADEX 42 and CADEX 65 Road WheelSystems.
 
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Giro d’Italia roster
 
Lawson Craddock (USA) – 2nd appearance
Lucas Hamilton (AUS) – 3rd appearance
Michael Hepburn (AUS) – 7th appearance
Damien Howson (AUS) – 3rd appearance
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN) – 7th appearance
Callum Scotson (AUS) – 2nd appearance
Matteo Sobrero (ITA) – 3rd appearance
Simon Yates (GBR) – 5th appearance
 

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