When Simon Yates stepped onto the podium in Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles and the British national anthem played out for the winner of the 2018 Vuelta a España, it was a landmark achievement for the 25-year-old, but also a significant milestone from a collective point of view.
It would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but the Mitchelton-Scott team had won a Grand Tour. Once a motley crew of stage hunters and team time trial contenders – successful ones at that – they had embarked on a journey to Grand Tour success and, after several highs and lows, it had come to fruition.
"When we started out, we wanted to win races, and with the budget we had and the riders that were available, that was the team we had. And we won races, but then after a couple of years we wanted to develop into a Grand Tour team," senior directeur sportif Matt White tells Cyclingnews.
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Having changed name in 2013, thanks to a new title sponsor, from GreenEdge to Orica-GreenEdge, the key moment came at the end of that second season with the signings of the Yates brothers – Simon and Adam – and the Colombian Esteban Chaves.
Simon and Adam Yates had both turned pro after success in the under-23 ranks, whiles Chaves – a couple of years older – stepped up to WorldTour level after recovering from a career-threatening injury. The team has revolved around those three ever since, with Chaves claiming two Grand Tour podiums, Simon Yates winning this year's Vuelta, and Adam Yates finishing fourth at the Tour de France in 2016.
"At the time, Australia wasn't producing Grand Tour riders, although there has been one who has been super successful," White says, referring to Cadel Evans, who won the 2011 Tour de France with the BMC team. "In 2013 we needed to make a move and that was to look outside the box, and look outside Australia.
2014 & 2015: The first steps
2016: The breakthrough
2017: A tough year
2018: From despair to glory
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/metamorphosis-greenedges-journey-to-grand-tour-success
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