Egan Bernal and Simon Yates have shared many special moments as siblings, but none quite like the one they had on Saturday, when they fought for a stage win and the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.
The twins from Bury are among the best riders in the world, with 54 professional wins between them. But it was still a rare situation for them to be in, as stage one of the Tour de France ended with joy for one Yates, and disappointment for the other.
The pair escaped on the final descent of the day, the Côte de Pike, and held off the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), to go head-to-head on a steep finish. Adam took the lead and had more power than his brother, securing his first Tour and Grand Tour stage win.
“It was a super special experience. To go one-two on the final climb with your brother is not something many people can say, so it was really nice,” Adam said after the stage. “He did most of the work on the descent and on the flat, because obviously I had Tadej behind. With four, five kilometres to go, I got the call from Tadej saying I could work, and we went full gas to the finish, so it was a super nice experience, and a great day.”
It was a bitter end for Simon, who lost to the man who he has probably raced more than anyone else in his 30 years, from the streets of Lancashire where they grew up, to the streets of Andorra where they live nearby.
“It’s hard,” Simon said. “I’m really happy for him, [it’s a] first Grand Tour stage. Of course I’m ecstatic for him, but I also wanted to win, we’re very competitive. Like I said, I’ll try and get the better of him in the next days.”
Adam was aware of his brother’s threat in the next days, as he will look to get revenge.
“When we got away together I said, ‘I can’t work, I can’t work’, and he knew how it was,” Adam said. “He’s professional, I’m professional, and that’s professional bike racing. Then I got the call that I could start to work, and we went full gas to the finish.
“On the final climb I managed to have a bit more energy, because he spent some on the descent. But he’s still in super great shape, I’m sure he’s going to be a pain in the ass over the next few weeks.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The pair’s parents were on the roadside and witnessed the special moment. It is not the first time the twins have finished first and second at a race – that was at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2013, where Simon won – but this is a whole different level. It must be a strange feeling to feel elation and sympathy for your brother’s loss, as Adam did, or feel regret and happiness for your brother, as Simon did.
“I have a great relationship with my brother, so I’m really happy for him, and I’ll stick it to him in the coming days,” Simon said. “They’re [his parents] out on course somewhere, I didn’t manage to see them, it was too hectic. They’re following the whole thing, I’m sure they’ll see us come past tomorrow.”
“We’re very close, I’ve spoken to him every day for the last 15 years, well, 20 years,” Adam said. “We’re really close, but this year, we did preparation differently. He’s been training alone, making sure he stays out of trouble, and I’ve been doing Dauphiné, and I was in the Sierra Nevada before that. So I’ve been with my team for a long time, and he’s being doing his own thing. When we’re back in Andorra, he lives five, ten minutes away, so we see each other whenever we can.”
Despite the stage win and wearing yellow tomorrow, Adam is realistic about his role at this year’s Tour de France: he is here to help Tadej Pogačar win. This is despite being presented as co-leader with Pogačar last week.
“At the end of the day, we’re here for Tadej,” Adam said. “For me, he is the best rider in the world, he’s been the best rider for years now, and we 100% back him. If I can help him out with tactics like today, chipping off the front and causing a bit of chaos, then that’s what we’ll do. Depending on the race, depending on the situation, we’ll see.”
Sunday is another day, another tough stage, but Adam Yates and UAE Team Emirates have already made their mark on this year’s race. Now we will wait and see if Simon has an answer.
