Yates Takes White at Tour de France!

Prior the start of the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, Team ORICA-BikeExchange announced that its riders would target stage wins during the most important stage race of the year. With a strong roster, the expectations were high with regards to this particular goal. Despite the chase after stage wins, young British rider Adam Yates rode a smart race, keeping himself well placed in the overall standings throughout the first week. When the preset goal of a stage win was finally achieved thanks to an incredible team effort on stage 10 which saw Michael Matthews as the eventual winner, the Team set its eyes on Adam Yates's performance in the general classification. "Of course we knew that Adam is an incredible talent and full of potential and now I suppose the whole world also knows that. I think it's very important not to put a 23-year old like Adam under too much pressure and as we saw he responded very well and maintained a high level of consistency," explained Matt White, Sports Director of Team ORICA BikeExchange.

Yates consistently moved up the overall standings, eyeing a podium finish in Paris during the last week of the race. At the same time, he carried the white leader jersey of the young rider classification during large parts of the Tour. "I had had a bad day on stage 19 and I wasn't sure how my legs would respond but I recovered well and here we are. I've won the white jersey and fourth overall and that's very satisfying," said a happy Yates after crossing the finish line in Paris. "I wouldn't say that we are disappointed not to have made the podium, it's one of those things. This is only my second Tour and all of the guys ahead of me have competed for the general classification in previous Grand Tours so I think we have done very well," Yates analyzing his final result.

Team ORICA-BikeExchange reached its preset goal of a stage win and surprised the cycling community with an impressive performance in the overall standings. Adam Yates certainly is a rider to watch for future editions of the Tour de France.