No Il Lombardia for Simon Yates after training crash spells end of season
Yates posted one of his best seasons despite a crash and a case of COVID-19 knocking him out at the grand tours.
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Simon Yates won’t be racing for the win this weekend at Il Lombardia.
The BikeExchange-Jayco rider crashed during training, and will put an end to his 2022 season, officials said Monday.
“Unfortunately Simon Yates suffered a fall during training yesterday and sustained some minor injuries that will rule him out of racing Il Lombardia on Saturday,” said a team media note. “Yates will now end his 2022 racing season and focus on rest, recovery and building towards 2023.”
The 30-year-old Yates endured an up and down season marked by a COVID-19 infection that sent him out of the Vuelta a España and a crash the sent him home during the Giro d’Italia.
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In both races, Yates was poised in the top-10 and looked to have winning legs.
Even with the health issues, Yates posted one of his best seasons yet. He won eight times across the 2022 campaign, including two stages at the Giro.
Yates, who is under contract for two more seasons with the Australian outfit, will miss Saturday’s Il Lombardia. In seven starts across cycling’s five monuments, Yates is yet to finish in the top-10.
Yates’ departure shouldn’t impact the team’s WorldTour fortunes too dramatically.
Going into this week, BikeExchange-Jayco ranked 15th in the three-year points tally, and looks all but assured to secure its place in the WorldTour for the coming three seasons.