'I took a pay cut to go to Visma-Lease a Bike' - Simon Yates ensures no regrets with transfer to super team

Simon Yates has revealed that he took a pay cut to join Visma-Lease a Bike from Jayco-AlUla, with the Brit not wanting to miss the opportunity to join one of cycling's 'super teams' as he enters the twilight years of his career.

For Yates, 32, it was a chance he couldn't resist, having rarely been offered as attractive a move during his 11 years on the Australian Greenedge outfit, which is now operating as Jayco-AlUla. 

"When the announcement was made that I was making a switch, I saw a lot of comments saying that there should be budget limits [salary caps]," Yates told a small gathering of media including Cyclingnews ahead of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec,.

"But I took a pay cut to go to Visma. So, I was actively wanting to go there as well, because I want to be part of the best team."

Yates has joined Visma on a two-year deal and batted back criticism for signing with one of cycling's biggest teams after questions were raised over the concentration of top talent on the same few squads, with his decision coming after more than a decade of success at Jayco-AlUla but following a tough season in 2024.

"I think you have to think about it from the perspective of the rider and wanting to get the best out of himself. I've had 11 years of chances to do my own thing on this team and I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to now go to one of these teams," Yates said.

"It's an exciting opportunity and I think it was the right moment to make a change. I'm not getting any younger. But I still have the motivation. I still have strong feelings in the legs. If I left it any later, you start to really decline, so now is the time to change."

For Yates, who has only known the Australian team since he turned pro in 2014, it was also about making sure he ends his illustrious career without any regrets.

"At the end of the day, not going to one of these super teams, I think I would regret when I finish if I didn't know what it was really like to be in one of the best teams," said the Brit in Québec. "The proposal came and I just  couldn't really miss an opportunity like that."

Chances

Yates is following a similar path to his twin brother Adam Yates with his transfer, after the latter swapped one super team for another going from Ineos Grenadiers to UAE Team Emirates in 2023. 

Adam has found career-best form since joining the Emirati outfit, netting a podium finish at the Tour de France behind teammate Tadej Pogačar in 2023 and taking eleven wins so far in his two seasons, which is seven more than he managed during his two-year stint at the British team.

"Of course, he's had a very successful change there when he left from Ineos. So I would not say it was my inspiration, but it gave me confidence in my decision that it would be a good one," Yates said, before admitting that he had sought his brother's view before taking the plunge.

"We're close. We discuss pretty much everything together. And he had the same opinion as what I'm telling you guys, you know, that maybe a change would be good."

While it seems Yates could be brought in as a super domestique for the Tour de France, replicating how Adam has been utilised, he revealed that he joined for an 'open role' with the chance to ride for his own ambitions as well as those of the team's big stars such as Jonas Vingegaard.

"It was an open role. It was to have chances, and also work sometimes for somebody else. I was completely happy with that," said the Brit of what was agreed in his negotiations.

"I'm still motivated to do well, and whether that's in a support role for those guys, or also winning myself, I am never against being in that role of helping somebody else, but I've just never really had the chance here to do that."

Yates has endured a tough year plagued with injuries and illnesses, notably contracting COVID-19 at the Tour de France and only taking one victory at the AlUla Tour. However, his new venture with Visma offers a chance not only in a new support role but also potentially with a newfound top-level, as has been the case with many of their recent signings who have benefitted from joining the plethora of talent at the Dutch outfit.

But his time at the Australian organisation is not yet finished, and Yates hopes to take just one more win as he closes the curtain on the team that's seen him win the Vuelta a España overall, take two stages at the Tour de France, six at the Giro d'Italia alongside an overall podium there in 2021. Simon Yates will remain a Greenedge fan even when he dons the black and yellow of Visma-Lease a Bike.

"I've been on this team for 11 years, this is my team, you know, let's say in football terms. I support this team," Yates said. I've only put my arms in the air once this year, and I would like to do it again, one final time, at least, to do it for the team."