Upon signing for Orica-GreenEDGE in the winter and apparently snubbing Team Sky to do so, Adam Yates joked he did not fancy the big, long shifts on the front of the bunch with the British team. And he has certainly proved his worth for the Australian team already by topping the youth classification at the Tour de San Luis on debut. Now, after seeing twin brother Simon make a big impression in his first WorldTour race – Paris-Nice – Adam has taken his chance to shine in Catalonia.
After his joking upon signing for Orica-GreenEDGE, it is somewhat ironic it was a big shift on the front of the bunch which earned him the plaudits on stage two. With Team Sky also massing at the front, Yates took the strain with a huge effort as the Australian team looked to put the hurt on and set Leigh Howard up for the stage victory. Ultimately, poor road position cost Howard in the sprint, but another favourable impression for Yates will certainly have done him no harm in his neo-pro year.
