Sibling rivalry was in full swing as Bury twins Adam and Simon Yates competed at the inaugural Prudential RideLondon Classic on Saturday.
Adam, 20, who now bases himself in Montbeliard, France, finished in an impressive 16th position whilst Simon – who won gold at the World Track Championships in Minsk in February – finished in 71st.
After completing the course Adam admitted his slight build did not work to his advantage during the ascents of Box Hill and Leith Hill, but couldn’t resist a playful dig at his twin.
“For me I reckon the climbs were in a bit of a bad spot as it was flat out and then it was hilly and then it’s flat to the back,” he said.
“So for me and all the small guys it was a bit difficult to get in the mix because it was all the big sprinters.
“I managed to beat my brother today though.”
Sunday’s Classic was the blue chip event of a weekend of cycling festivities in the city, with Frenchman Arnaud Demare winning the sprint to the line to finish in 5hrs 7mins 44secs.
Italian Sacha Modolo was second with Yannick Martinez of France third.
Pre-race favourite Peter Sagan, winner of the green jersey at the Tour de France, failed to finish in the top 50 after the peloton gradually pulled in a mid-race break from seven riders with Ben Swift of Team Sky the first Brit over the line in tenth.
Simon admitted the opportunity to re-trace huge stretches of the Olympic road race was a source of inspiration.
“It was like having flash back to the Olympics riding around all those roads. Hopefully that legacy will continue as they try and build this event,” he said.
“It was really impressive coming down the Mall to the finish. I’ve never been here so I couldn’t believe the size of it really, it was really impressive.
“Towards the end it started kicking off.
“I was in the front group somewhere. I had a bit of a go to try to get across to the break and came just up the last climb but after that I was a bit knackered so I just rolled in once the bunch caught the break, so pretty happy with that.”
Prudential RideLondon took place on August 3 & 4. If you’re inspired to ride, visit www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk
Image courtesy of British Cycling Videos via YouTube
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