Simon Yates: I'm the number one favourite for the Giro d'Italia
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) threw the hammer down with a vengeance in his pre-Giro d'Italia press conference, stating categorically that he is in top condition to win his second consecutive Grand Tour. If he was in his rivals' position, he said, "I would be scared, I’d be shitting myself."
Yates has significant unfinished business with the Giro d’Italia, having lost the race whilst in pink and almost within sight of the final stage in Rome last year. But the Briton was in no mood for doubt on Friday afternoon, saying, in no uncertain terms, that he was certain of his chances of fighting for success.
"I’ve been thinking about this race for almost 12 months, I’m very focused, I’m been very dedicated towards it," he said.
When asked who was the number one favourite for the Giro d’Italia, Yates pointed one finger at himself and stated, in an utterly deadpan voice: "Me."
As for why he had opted to stand out in another way and be the only top favourite to have a late start in Saturday's opening time trial, with thunderstorms forecast in Bologna, Yates seemed equally confident.
"The weather is just a prediction, nobody really knows," he stated, with the same laconic certainty as Bob Dylan when the singer uttered his famous line that "you don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows".
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