Adam Yates leaves Ineos Grenadiers for UAE Team Emirates
British climber joins on three-year deal
Adam Yates will leave Ineos Grenadiers at the end of the season, moving to UAE Team Emirates from 2023.
The British rider, who placed 9th at this year's Tour de France, joins the team of Tadej Pogačar on a three-year contract, a significant strengthening to the GC squad following moves made last winter.
"I'm really excited to join UAE Team Emirates. I have seen the growth of the team over the years and the opportunity to join was one that I could not turn down," Yates said.
"I feel that I'm entering my peak years as a rider and the team will get the best out of me. I look forward to riding with many of the top riders in the world and to contribute to the team becoming number one in the world."
After spending the first seven years of his career at BikeExchange-Jayco, Yates moved to Ineos Grenadiers in 2021 and enjoyed his best season, with victory at the Volta a Catalunya, fourth place at the Vuelta a España, and a podium at Il Lombardia.
This year he was runner-up at the UAE Tour, fourth at Paris-Nice, and won the recent Deutschland Tour, although his summer and his Tour de France ambitions were affected by illness.
"We are very pleased to welcome Adam into our team for the coming years. His ability to win and achieve top results across a wide variety of races is very impressive and he has proven to be a consistent talent," said UAE Emirates team boss Mauro Gianetti.
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"We all know he is a rider of great panache and we believe that he will be the right fit for our structure as we continue to reinforce the team for the coming years."
Yates' move comes as UAE Team Emirates continue to strengthen and Ineos Grenadiers re-shuffle their Grand Tour leadership cards, with Richard Carapaz also leaving for EF Education-EasyPost.
Egan Bernal is expected to return to full fitness to lead the line for Ineos next season, while Geraint Thomas proved he's still a factor with his Tour de France podium.
However, the team have otherwise invested in youth in the past few years, with Carlos Rodríguez and new signing Thymen Arensman among those with room to step up, and longer-term GC prospects including Tom Pidcock, Luke Plapp, and Leo Hayter.
Yates is the fourth signing of the season for UAE, after Tim Wellens from Lotto Soudal, Felix Großschartner from Bora-Hansgrohe and Domen Novak from Bahrain Victorious.
They are losing Rui Costa to Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert but have handed contract extensions to key riders in Rafał Majka, Brandon McNulty, and 19-year-old Vuelta podium finisher Juan Ayuso.
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.