Simon Yates makes his return to racing in Italy at the Coppa Agostoni after a month-long lay off sparked by catching COVID-19 during the Vuelta a España.
BikeExchange-Jayco have confirmed that Yates will take part in three hilly one-day events in Italy, kicking off with Thursday’s category 1.1 race in northern Italy and then continuing with the Giro dell’ Emilia on Saturday and the Tre Valle Varesine next Tuesday, October 2. It is also expected that Yates will race Il Lombardia on October 8.
Yates was a non-starter on stage 11 of the Vuelta a España having gone down with COVID-19 for a second time in a Grand Tour. The virus also sparked his mid-race abandon of the 2020 Giro d’Italia.
According to a team press release on Wednesday, Yates “has since recovered and is motivated for results in races that suit his characteristics.”
“With multiple races in Italy coming one after the other, the team line-up will switch and change, as the Australian outfit field key players for each and every race,” the press release added.
“For the hiller days, Yates will be the leader, with the likes of climbers Kevin Colleoni, Damien Howson and Lucas Hamilton around him for support.”
All of these races act as appetisers for showdown at Il Lombardia on October 8, where Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard will be among the contenders. Despite a very limited track record of racing in these Italian autumn events, Yates will likely be very much at home on its very hilly finale, which takes in the climbs of Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia on the finishing circuit in Como.
