Why Did UAE Team Emirates Sign Adam Yates? Tadej Pogacar Tour de France Superdomestique?

Lanterne Rouge analyses the UAE Team Emirates signing of Adam Yates, one of the many top GC / hilly one day racers that the team has signed in recent years. Will he be a domestique for tadej pogacar or receive leadership for most of the year?

Credits:
Footage | Amaury Sport Organisation
Photos | Cor Vos (unless stated otherwise)
Profiles | La Flamme Rouge

[RudiDwiHartanto]

Building the ultimate team for the most important race of the year: UAE Tour.

[SethGroover]

I got to ride with Adam last week on zwift. A fellow twin, my twin and I were born Aug 7th exactly 2 years b4 Adam and Simon. Most certainly our favorite riders.

[ForeJaapie]

Hey Patrick, love your cycling coverage, its a big part of my enjoyment when watching cycling. Looking forward to the top climbing performances recap! Have you considered streaming live coverage of races somewhere, like a voice channel in a Discord server to discuss the race in real time?

[stephenbetley]

He's predominantly the UAE version of Laporte imo. He'll get his own chances with a strong team but high mountain support is what UAE have been lacking in the last couple of tours. 3-4yrs younger than Maika. I think Yates knows his GT limits and supersomestique seems a good lateral shift. With Bernal coming back and Pidcock likely to be chancing his arm at GT in the next few seasons Yates' time at Ineos was limited.

[jmwing]

In the words of Aragorn:
'It is an army bred for a single purpose. To destroy the world of men. '
In this case, the army is Yates and Vine and world of men is the TdF.

[marshallman]

They signed him for the exact reasons you've outlined. He's a quality rider who can be used in a variety of ways such as helping out Pog, week long stage race, one days.

[santiagobenites]

That was a great analysis of Adam Yates and his signing for UAE Team Emirates. Like you mention, there can be a lot of versatility with a rider like Adam, and he definitely doesn't just have to be a superdomestique like we might assume that he'll be.

[simisthegoat]

Maybe you could analyse Jay Vine next, how will UAE use him, just as a domestique or maybe he'll get chances like Soler?

[jamesbarber]

Yates always looks good when he gets out the saddle and smashes up those double digit inclines.

[Flynbourne]

Ah man it’s been a long winter here without road cycling (cyclocross doesn’t engross me to the same degree). But great to be back on the LR train.

[seanOutdoor]

Would love a few profiles on some potential stars of the future to watch from each major cycling nation (ie Sheffield for US, and LR kinda already did the Ayuso one for spain)

[chadmcvlad]

Hey could you do a vid on mcnulty? He’s a good rider but idk what his main contribution for uae is, as he isn’t used that much at the tour, and only was a factor in a stage or 2.

[Oscaraha]

Super domestique makes perfectly sense. Adam Yates knows he is no match for pog, rog, evenepoel and vingegaard, and want to maximise his income for the latter part of his career.

[parmentiere]

I would love a mini profile on the Rodriguez to Movistar move

[samuelbraverman]

LR, I'd be curious to hear you expand on Quinn Simmons... He's obviously talented and he's sign with Trek again (as per the Adventure Stache Podcast), but what is his deal? Is he the brat everyone seems to imply he is or is he just a young dude with learning to do? Cheers, love you and Benji for all ya do.

[lukacherriman]

I hope they have signed him to go for UAE tour instead of Pogacar so he can focus on bigger goals. But that’s probably unlikely

[paulsolon]

It’s easy—Yates is there to help pogacar in tour. Why the confusion?

[elijones]

I still feel like the move that didn’t happen but would’ve had the biggest impact was Kung to UAE. The mountain train isn’t their weakness. It’s their lack of a Van Hooydonck style rider that leaves them open to problems if Pog takes a leaders jersey early.

[paulsolon]

Wd you please consider video of what it’s like in girona now, typical day now for pros, where they ride in dec and Jan, who is there now.

[EMCScotia]

One thing that comes to mind, is avoiding having just Soler to help when JV are blowing it apart and it's the TDF.