Sean Yates
Encyclopedia
Sean Yates is an English
former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif
at Team Sky
.
, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit
. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics
. As an amateur in 1980, he won the British 25-mile individual time trial
championship, and took the national record for 10-mile time trials with 19m 44s.
As an amateur Yates rode for ACBB in Paris with fellow British
riders John Herety
and Jeff Williams
. Yates quickly became known for his incredible turn of speed and power. He turned professional in 1982 for Peugeot cycling team
riding alongside Graham Jones
, Robert Millar
and Stephen Roche
. He then moved to Fagor in 1988. In 1989 he then joined the American team, 7-Eleven
and then in 1991 Motorola, where he rode with Lance Armstrong
.
He was British professional individual pursuit
champion in 1982 and 1983.
Yates spent much of his 15-year career as a domestique, but he won stages in the Tour de France
(a time trial stage at Wasquehal, at Tour record speed) and the Vuelta a España
in 1988. That year he also won a stage in Paris–Nice and Midi-Libre and finished fourth in the Tour of Britain
. The following year (1989), he took two stages and overall victory in the Tour of Belgium
, won the GP Eddy Merckx and finished second in Gent–Wevelgem.
Yates wore the maillot jaune in the 1994 Tour de France, the third Briton to do so. Yates rode 12 Tours, completing nine; 45th was his best placing. He was powerful on flat stages and noted as a descender of mountains. For a rouleur
Yates climbed very well for his weight.
In 1989 Yates tested positive in a doping test in the first stage of Torhout-Werchter.
, which competed at the Giro d'Italia
. After the team's collapse in 2001, Yates helped set up the Australian iteamNova, but left after funds ran out. After six months out of cycling, he joined Team CSC-Tiscali before moving to Discovery in 2005 at the invitation of Lance Armstrong
. In June 2007, Yates was manager of Team Discovery a USA team, and in 2008 went on to manage riders on the Astana cycling team. In 2009 he was signed up as director of the newly formed Team Sky
, a British based team intent on providing Britain's first Tour De France
winner.
.
In 2009, he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame
.
1982
1983
1984
1986
1987
1988
1989
1991
1992
1994
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...
at Team Sky
Team Sky
Team Sky is a British professional road bicycle racing team that competes in international road bicycle races. The creation of the team was announced on 26 February 2009 and the team began competition in January 2010....
.
Career
Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. As an amateur in 1980, he won the British 25-mile individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
championship, and took the national record for 10-mile time trials with 19m 44s.
As an amateur Yates rode for ACBB in Paris with fellow British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
riders John Herety
John Herety
John P Herety is a former English racing cyclist. He rode for Great Britain in the Olympic Games and won the national road championship as an amateur and then a professional...
and Jeff Williams
Jeff Williams (cyclist)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams is an English former professional road racing cyclist from Manchester. He rode for Great Britain at the Olympic Games, and won several national championship titles.-Cycling career:...
. Yates quickly became known for his incredible turn of speed and power. He turned professional in 1982 for Peugeot cycling team
Peugeot (cycling team)
Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...
riding alongside Graham Jones
Graham Jones (cyclist)
Graham Jones is a former professional English road racing cyclist from Manchester, England. He rode in the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. He is often described as one of the classiest riders that the UK has produced, but his career was hindered by being over raced in his early days, and by...
, Robert Millar
Robert Millar
Robert Millar is a former Scottish professional cyclist who won the “King of the Mountains” competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall – sharing the highest Tour position for a British cyclist with Bradley Wiggins, and the first time a Briton had won a major Tour...
and Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche is a retired professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus the World road race championship...
. He then moved to Fagor in 1988. In 1989 he then joined the American team, 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
and then in 1991 Motorola, where he rode with Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
.
He was British professional individual pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
champion in 1982 and 1983.
Yates spent much of his 15-year career as a domestique, but he won stages in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
(a time trial stage at Wasquehal, at Tour record speed) and the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
in 1988. That year he also won a stage in Paris–Nice and Midi-Libre and finished fourth in the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
. The following year (1989), he took two stages and overall victory in the Tour of Belgium
Tour of Belgium
The Tour of Belgium is a four-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium.It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several of races were not organised and none at all during the decade 1991 to 2001...
, won the GP Eddy Merckx and finished second in Gent–Wevelgem.
Yates wore the maillot jaune in the 1994 Tour de France, the third Briton to do so. Yates rode 12 Tours, completing nine; 45th was his best placing. He was powerful on flat stages and noted as a descender of mountains. For a rouleur
Rouleur
A rouleur is a type of racing cyclist considered a good all-rounder.In road bicycle racing different courses favour different types of rider depending on a range of environmental conditions such as terrain, climate and distance. Flat courses often finish in a bunch sprint, which favours specialist...
Yates climbed very well for his weight.
In 1989 Yates tested positive in a doping test in the first stage of Torhout-Werchter.
Management career
After retiring in 1996, Yates became manager of the Linda McCartney Racing TeamLinda McCartney Racing Team
The Linda McCartney Racing Team was a British professional road bicycle racing team.-History:The team began in 1998 with Linda McCartney Foods, maker of vegetarian food, sponsoring vegetarian riders and staff. The company was started by Sir Paul McCartney's wife, Linda...
, which competed at the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
. After the team's collapse in 2001, Yates helped set up the Australian iteamNova, but left after funds ran out. After six months out of cycling, he joined Team CSC-Tiscali before moving to Discovery in 2005 at the invitation of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
. In June 2007, Yates was manager of Team Discovery a USA team, and in 2008 went on to manage riders on the Astana cycling team. In 2009 he was signed up as director of the newly formed Team Sky
Team Sky
Team Sky is a British professional road bicycle racing team that competes in international road bicycle races. The creation of the team was announced on 26 February 2009 and the team began competition in January 2010....
, a British based team intent on providing Britain's first Tour De France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
winner.
Post-professional racing
In 1997, he won the British 50-mile time-trial championship, and he finished third in the same event in 2005. In May 2007, he said he would not compete as a veteran because of heart irregularities, but he still competes at regional events, primarily in the Southeast. Yates currently plays football for Old St Marys Football Club as a goalkeeper in Amateur Football CombinationAmateur Football Combination
The Amateur Football Combination is a football league based in and around London and the Home Counties, and is believed to be the biggest adult football league in Europe.-History:...
.
In 2009, he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame
British Cycling Hall of Fame
The British Cycling Hall of Fame was established in 2009 as part of British Cycling's 50th anniversary celebrations.On 17 December 2009, the names of fifty riders to be inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame were announced...
.
Palmarès
1980- 1st Prologue, Sealink International
1982
- 1st Airedale
- 1st Stage 4 Circuit Cycliste de la Sarthe
- 1st Classic New Southsea
- 1st Great Yorkshire
- 1st Southsea
- 1st Stage 3 Tour d'Indre-et-Loire
1983
- 1st London
- 5th Overall, Milk Race
1984
- 1st Bristol
- 1st Prologue Four days of Dunkerque
1986
- 1st Stage 2 Milk Race
- 12th Overall Tour of IrelandTour of IrelandThe Tour of Ireland is a bicycle stage race held in August. The first race debuted in 1953 and ran until 1957. It was revived in 1965 and ran until 1985. In 1985 the 5 day Nissan International Classic took over as the Tour of Ireland. This lasted for 8 years until 1992...
1987
- 1st GP de Cannes
- 1st Stage 3 Tour of IrelandTour of IrelandThe Tour of Ireland is a bicycle stage race held in August. The first race debuted in 1953 and ran until 1957. It was revived in 1965 and ran until 1985. In 1985 the 5 day Nissan International Classic took over as the Tour of Ireland. This lasted for 8 years until 1992...
1988
- 1st Stage 5 GP du Midi-Libre
- 1st Stage Paris - Nice
- 1st Stage 6 Tour de France1988 Tour de FranceThe 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
- 1st Stage 12 Vuelta a España1988 Vuelta a EspañaThe 1988 Vuelta a España was the 43rd Vuelta a España, taking place from April 25 to May 15, 1988. It consisted of 20 stages over 3425 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.506 km/h...
1989
- 1st GP Eddy Merckx
- 1st Stage 1A Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 1B Tour of Belgium
- 1st Prologue Ronde van NederlandRonde van NederlandThe Ronde van Nederland is a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was replaced by the Eneco Tour of Benelux....
1991
- 1st Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st Stage 4 Tour of Ireland
1992
- 1st
British National Road Race ChampionshipsBritish National Road Race ChampionshipsThe British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually.-History:...
1994
- 1st USPRO Road Race
- Tour de France1994 Tour de FranceThe 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
- Wore yellow jerseyYellow jerseyThe general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
for one day after stage 6
- Wore yellow jersey
External links
- Q&A: Sean Yates, Ben Moore, BBC, 2007.