Sean Yates
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Chris Froome celebrates claiming the yellow jersey, the 15th of his career (pic: Sirotti)
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Bradley Wiggins punches the air in triumph after all-but-sealing 2012 Tour de France victory by winning the final time trial (pic: Sirotti)
Sean Yates
Known best for his work as a domestique, and later for his role behind the scenes as Bradley Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France, Sean Yates did lead the Tour de France for a single day himself too.
A stage winner in 1988, Yates’ day in the sun arrived six years later, in 1994, in a race which had already seen Chris Boardman win the prologue and lead the way for three days, and the race traverse the south coast of England too.
The day the Tour returned to French soil, Yates – who had been allowed to ride ahead of the peloton on his home soil to meet family – was to bring more British success.
Joining a late break with 25km to go, Yates was to finish sixth on the stage, two seconds behind Gianluca Bortolami – who gained a 20-second time bonus for his stage win.
Yates, however, had held a 23-second cushion over the Italian and so claimed the race lead by a solitary second, with team-mate Lance Armstrong disrupting previous leader Flavio Vanzella’s chase.
He lost the jersey the following day, but a memorable day had been ensured for one of Britain’s true hard men of the peloton.
Tour de France starts: 12
Best Tour de France result: 45th (1989), one stage win (1988)
Number of yellow jerseys: 1