Pogacar, Evenepoel – Yates Talks Tour de France Truths

Simon Yates explains his view of the 2024 Tour de France after 4th in 2023, and why this route will suit him – and also fireworks from Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic. More info on Yates and #AlulaTour : https://flosports.link/3HDmSAI

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Were you happy with last year’s tur France be fourth considering who was on the podium your brother included was was impressive yeah yeah and I mean I you know I had a really good race um I also had a crash um you know just before the

First rest day um I don’t know how much that affected me um had two bad days going into the second second rest day um St bad days I completely like now M and um and the the stage before I forget the name name of the clan um but it also

Comes down to a a a Personnel thing because those days and I say had had a bad day um it was a really aggressive race um those two stages and the first day um I was not able to get any any biddens from the side of the car for 50 km whereas other

Teams they have they have the staff on the side of the road where they can get the you know every 10 kers they have Personnel to give up bottles but I’m waiting 50k and it it took its to you know and then I lost time that day that

That day and then I paid for it the next day it was lucky that I had a rest day but then I bounced back with a great performance in the TT and then uh you know on the queen stage to to k i was second almost won the stage in a way you

Know different circumstances you know that seems simple enough to rectify is the team trying to change that or is that that’s also comes down to a budget thing you know these super teams they have so much money and so much uh so many personnel um you know we’re as a team we

Still do it’s not just myself you know we try to rectify these things and uh but at some point it just comes down to how many guys you have those are the little things as an example a person handing out water bottles but it’s a whole array of things yeah yeah yeah and

I mean other even other teams you know they come with just one year for every Rider um you know and and so then you go to you go to dinner earlier you go to bed earlier and you do that over for 3 weeks it makes a difference it makes a

Difference so um yeah these are the small things you know you I’m talking about 1 perent is even less than 1% enters but they all add up and you know I’m talk you know over 3 weeks one minute you not you’d have to I’m I’m not

Good at maths that’s why I’m that’s why I’m a b Rider but um it’s very small small margins being said like you’re a oneman team you’ve only ever been with this team as a pro that’s pretty rare these days have you considered going to one of the super teams or going

Somewhere else I’ve never had the opportunity so far um no one’s come come searching um I would never say no to that but I’m also very very happy where I am um um you know I get a lot of freedom from other things in my life you

Know training camps and stuff that I get to organize my own um so I can go away with the family and and take my dog you know and live a relatively normal life um and when I go away you know I’m very professional I never I’ve never come

Down from a training camp at altitude going badly if you know um and I actually enjoy getting away and you know really concentrating on on that so um in that regard it’s also you know why would I change when I have those sort of freedoms this is your team already a

Long that’s I me I mean as someone else when I was in Australia we this conversation came up and somebody said it would be strange to imagine you without the team now you know i’ I’ve been here for a long time now I think

I’m coming on to 10 years with a team so you know it’s it’s been a long time and I you know I still feel still feel completely part of the team and we have a great understanding um about one one another um so I’m not you know I’m not

Searching to to change what is it about 2023 that made you decide how to do this schedule in 2024 it’s a very rated schedule of course this start of the year is very important for us now um last year I did down under of course we

Have you know Jac on board as the main sponsor who’s been you know Jerry um he’s been a huge sponsor of the team for the its entire existence and of course alula now coming on board is even more important um and I think there was um there was a period there after to

Last year where I sort of missed a bit of racing you know I went back up to altitude and I started training but just with it was quite a long time time I when I got to um Parise just sort of missed that sort of that race sharpness

Um so that’s why why we decided to come here firstly because it’s an important race but secondly just to keep the legs turning open you know and be ready for the racing um and then yeah I mean when you you know after that it’s a relatively similar program over you know a couple

Of changes here and there but um like I said before I when I go away for a training camp uh I always come down flying so you know normally when I go to race I just get more tired um in in past years um you know I come down for for the

Warm-up race and be have better form there than you know than my than my actual Target so last year we just sat down and said well why don’t we just go you know straight from the training come to the to the tour so what what’s your schedule you’re you doing alula and

Alula and I’m going to do Str bian Cu uh there’s a gravel stage of the tour so test the equipment last time I roast on the on the on the on the pave Strada um we’re on completely different equipment had a different bike different tires different Wheels um so it’ be good to

Test that and then there’s not enough I would I would prefer to do pares but there’s not enough time to get there so so I’ll do Torino um which I’ve already won before and that which is why I want to go to Parise if that makes sense um

Then I’ll have a bit of a break do uh Bas country and then I’ll do the ardens okay and then what about this tour to France I mean because you talked about the gravel it’s really a tour that you must be looking forward to because it it seems like a really aggressive Punchy

Toward the France yeah I mean even there’s a there’s an extra T TR on there if I’m not mistaken and uh I’ve been time tring really well now I think since I since we had the change in equipment uh two years ago now I think I’ve been

You have to quot me correct my uh I think I’ve been in top 10 of every TT I’ve done maybe you have to FL check me on that one but um you know I’ve not really had any bad performances so that’s maybe somewhere I can also you

Know maybe make some gains last last year’s tour was the only the one time trial where I managed to put quite a bit of time into some of my rivals um maybe with more t Team you know and it just shifts it just shifts the you know the

Goal po a little bit um so we’ll see how are you are you on 90% are you 100% or how difficult it is to be good now and to be good when the targets are coming yeah no it it is difficult I you definitely feel up in the racing um

And I think you know I’m not 100 100% I think it’s it’s too early for that and if you you know if you ever have such a high peak now you would you would need a break earlier than than the ardens um but it is difficult you see

That I mean not on W longa um the stage there you know my my my numbers were through the roof and I turn around and there is uh 10 blogs still there and you know normally if I would do those numbers it would be you know one guy let’s say

Um so it is it is difficult and it’s it’s challenging but it’s uh difficult in the mind also I think you have to be experienced to to to handle this kind of things because Al is there but all all young guys are there yeah yeah yeah

But you know it’s great for the sport I think you’re seeing so much more exciting racing and of course it makes it harder for for us old old blocks now to get results but uh you’re seeing so much you know young fresh Talent you know who also they just take so much

More risks in racing you know don’t have any pressures to win or anything and and that really creates a a proper racing Dynamic so um yeah we’ll see we’ll see how that goes in for the rest of year hopefully they get tired we have this tur of France it starts in Florence ends

In NES is very unique you talked about the route and we have these besides yourself but we have a lot of attention on the riders that are starting on on the start line and I think you’re familiar with those four riders that everybody’s looking at what is it about

All this attention on this race and and what do you think that’s special about 2024 you can just take it back it’s not even just this year I think the tour is the Pinnacle of the sport there’s no denying that um and there is you know I

Just think the level that we’re at now I think these guys are really going after the big prize straight away you know there’s a lot of like I was saying before there’s a lot of Youth coming into from the sport now and you know they’re hungry for Success straight away

And that’s really showing you know they want to go after the tour straight away they don’t want to wait and go you know to the Juro or the Welter you know they they they want to go straight for the tour with the big prize and um you know

You’re seeing that now yeah we saw that with Isaac deloro and under really got everybody’s attention there and um what what does your brother say about pagy and like his thing racing the jro and the the tour what do you guys talk about this excitement that’s building up for

The T of France I mean because us as cycling journalist and I think talking to the fans pretty everybody’s pretty amped for the tur of France you know and having Remco having yonas there and and and having Rag and a new team and and you guys going at it what are you guys

Talking about amongst yourselves um yeah we to we don’t speak that much about it right now um we’re speaking we’re always speaking about more walks coming up recently he’s obviously starting probably UA or somewhere um soon you know he always goes back there and wants to do a good

Performance there but um I mean of course with him being on that team is is a little bit different from for me um you know for first and foremost he’s a he’s a domestique for for for p catcher or even any of the other six guys who

Are going at this point um and it’s just yeah I think they have a bit of a different mindset to what what we have you know they they’re after the big prize only where we’re sort of you know we’re happy with the podium and I think that’s a really you know big difference

In mindset also from how we race um and how you know even just the training and stuff like that you you really see it I think when my bro and we go training together you know he’s he’s talking about it he’s he’s thinking about it at all times you know this is

This is the big prize so um it’s it’s intense from that point of view whereas I have you know a little bit less less pressure there you’re not going to come out and say I have a shot to win the T of France you’re not kiding yourself

Myself no I’m not going to say that much more experienced I mean in the past maybe would say that but not though don’t you have to go sorry don’t you have to go into that mentality oh internally I I do but I you know I’ve learned from experience that you’re not

Allowed to say that in cycling media so now i’ Tri to play it cool well and as you talked I mean you know talk about UAE going in with the objective to win you guys going with the objective of a Podium yeah but then you know you get

To the race and you never know what happens you never know what what the form says you know my bro was never thinking about a Podium when he you know when he started the tour last year and I know he’s you know he’s he’s def onto

The podium of of the tour it’s a huge huge thing for any Rider um so so you just never know I keep my eyes open my try and take any opportunities that come my way and you never know you never know in sport nothing in sport is guaranteed

House things within you know between you and your brother because we all love that uh stage there stage one in build batt course yeah no no we we’re really close we nothing’s changed between us um still love ride angle bikes and whenever we are together in one place we we

Always goow to ride together so uh you just took the stage in the yellow Jersey from you yeah I know I know yeah but that’s how it goes That’s goes I’ve already got two stages the tour so uh I’m still W up on him is it bad luck

That pakar and vard came because at a certain moment you were the big guy you won the VA on a extremely nice way and then yeah I mean but I think the sport changed from those those years on I think even 2019 the sport was changing and you know there’s a lot of

Development on the nutritional side on aerodynamic side um and uh yeah it’s not really stopped from that point um so you know that’s just one of those things um you know I’ve also gotten better you know you you know you sit down and you look at my uh

Performances on my you know my power files I’ve also improved but the sport is just you know really such a high level now that um you know you can’t miss anything you can’t have you know even a half half bad day um but that’s what that’s what it’s about um you know

I still still motivated to to improve myself so like I keep saying I just you know looking for that a little bit more with a tour you see rco who’s coming to see p a team for him think you got a te for him you have still a Sprint in your

You have still two camps or two Targets yeah but I I don’t mind I think um you know I went to many many Jos with a with a team fully around me um and a lot of bad luck happened around that um and I don’t think it’s smart to do that for

Our team you know these super teams you know these teams that go there just solely on GC I think uh they do have the rities and the resources to put everything behind it and if something goes wrong then they have a backup plan um whereas for us we you know we’re

Working on a much smaller budget um and it’s not really feasible I believe I quite enjoy having a sprinter in the team as well takes a lot of takes a lot of pressure away from me um and the focus even just during the day you know

I can sort of relax and take care of myself on those those sort of Sprint days just need one or two guys around me and that’s fine um so I think that’s the plan again this year I mean last year they were my best numbers I ever did so

I mean I it I don’t know if I can keep improving um I hope so yeah um and like I said I’m still motivated you know I’m getting older now um just the tour down under um for some reason I managed I check the start list and and now a team kind

Popped up and I was the second old on the team and I I just it didn’t really register yet that I was you know one of the the the veterans of the team but I still feel young you know I still feel motivated to to do to do better and to

Improve myself and to you know to go after those the highest of heights um and we’ll see if I can do that you’re still dreaming you have already 32 victories I think or 31 uh Jero welta to the FR are you still dreaming what’s the

Big dream you have after 10 years yeah I mean I’m still like I said before I’m still motivated I’m still you know I’m getting on I have to have that for being uh my career completed no I don’t think it’s like that I don’t think it’s like that

I you have I was like that in certain parts of my of my career but I think as I get older I think um there is bigger things than sport in life and of course I want to achieve more and I want to go out you know have my own sort of Legacy

If that makes sense um and if I get the podium this year all the years to years to come you know then I’ll be uh extremely happy with that but uh we’ll see what that brings what’s given you that perspective like what are the other things that have outs side thing that

You no I just think you you just you just I mean when I was younger I you know you’re just completely focused on on cycling as a whole I mean it really absorbs your life and you know as life goes on you you get a family you get a

Dog and uh you know you realize that you know cycling is just a small part of your life you are frustrated that you don’t wi par but there is another yeah that’s what I mean I mean and it’s never that I go to a race and I you know I

Don’t give 100% And I’m not completely motivated to try and win and I take the risk to win um it’s just that I know that you know after that I don’t have to be upset or angry with myself that I didn’t pull it off you know life goes on

And I can try again next year or the next race okay Simon thank you thanks enormous