On Friday, Mitchelton-Scott announced the eight-rider roster that will embark on the Tour de France in just over a week. There were no shocks in terms of leadership, with Adam Yates set to lead the line for the second year in a row. However, it was surprising to see that his brother Simon Yates had been included in the team.
The pair have not raced the Tour de France together since 2015 and Simon Yates rolled home in a disappointing eighth in May’s Giro, but he will ride as a super domestique at the Tour de France as he looks repay his brother for the support he was given in last year’s Vuelta a Espana.
The overall complexion of Mitchelton-Scott’s Tour team is still similar to last year, with three bona fide climbers and a strong supporting cast. Simon Yates isn’t the only Giro d'Italia survivor to make the cut for the Tour de France, with Luke Durbridge and Chris Juul Jensen set to arrive in Brussels for the Grand Départ.
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Matteo Trentin has been given the chance to hunt stages and work for the team, and Daryl Impey and Michael Hepburn have been brought in to add more steel and firepower for the team time trial and flatter stages. Impey, at 34 years of age, will bridge the communication gap between the riders and the team car. The oldest rider on the team, he will act as the squad’s road captain.
Mitchelton-Scott’s Tour line-up has been in the works for almost a year with Head Sports Director Matt White creating his long list well before this year’s Grand Tour routes were announced last autumn. In recent years, the Australian WorldTour team has morphed into a stage racing force: Simon Yates has targeted the Giro d’Italia for two straight years, making the path clear for his brother to challenge at the Tour.
Leading into this campaign, the questions centred around who would support each rider, and whether Simon Yates could come out of Italy with the physical and mental state needed to ride back-to-back Grand Tours.
Striking a balance
Trentin will have chances to shine
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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