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It will be Yates first Grand Tour start for Ineos Grenadiers after joining the team following a move from Australian based Mitchelton-Scott at the end of last season.
Yates started his 2021 campaign with a strong showing at the Ardennes Classics but has since limited his starts to the Olympics as well as Classica San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos in an attempt to be in the best possible shape for La Vuelta.
The 29-year-old comes into the final Grand Tour of the season as one of four potential leaders for Ineos alongside Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz and Pavel Sivakov.
With his entire preparation geared towards the Vuelta, Yates said he can’t wait to finally be back racing in a grand tour.
"It’s good. Feels like a long time coming, you know, I’ve been at the team almost a year now but it’s really good to get to these big races.
"I’m actually looking forward to it. I spent a long time training now. Feels like a really long time. I just want to get stuck in."
Yates is confident his plan to focus on the one grand tour will give him an edge over other riders who have had a far tougher schedule.
“A lot of people do the duo Giro-Vuelta or Tour-Vuelta on their programme. Not many people just do the Vuelta,” he said.
"Hopefully, I’m going to be fresher than everyone and going into the third week that will really make a difference, or at least that’s what we’re hoping."
This year’s Vuelta route will suit Yates due to the sheer amount of climbing which is sure to push every rider in the peloton to the limit.
While his aspirations of GC glory could be limited by his position in the team hierarchy alongside superstar teammates Bernal and Carapaz, Yates believes Ineos’ star-studded lineup can only be a good thing.
"We’ve got a super-strong team. A lot of leaders, but I think it just gives us options," Yates said.
"We’ve seen in Grand Tours already this year that one crash can really derail a team.
"So having options, especially in this first week with the potential for wind and for stuff to go wrong, I think it is always better to have options."
