‘As I understand it, he lost his desire’ – Visma-Lease a Bike coach discusses Simon Yates’ sudden retirement

Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates shocked cycling with the sudden announcement that he’d be retiring from racing with immediate effect on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old, who also won the Vuelta a España during his 12-year career, didn’t give a definitive reason for his surprise decision to retire, but a coach at his Visma-Lease A Bike squad has shed some light on the situation.

Speaking to Danish outlet Feltet, Visma coach Jesper Mørkøv said that he understands Yates had lost the desire to continue competing.

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“First of all, it’s a shame, but that’s how it is. I won’t go into it any further, but as I understand it, he lost his desire,” Mørkøv said.

Former racer Mørkøv, who has worked at Visma-Lease a Bike for two seasons, said that the high demands modern racing places on riders may also have contributed to Yates’ decision.

“It’s something that’s been discussed in recent years [around cycling], that it takes a lot to be able to be on the top shelf, and it’s really hard,” he said.

“Simon has been in the game for many years, and then he has lost some of his enthusiasm for it.”

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Yates waves goodbye to the sport just before the beginning of what would’ve been his 13th season in the peloton, and only his second year at Visma-Lease A Bike.

The Briton can look back on a career palmarès containing those two Grand Tour wins, plus stage race triumphs at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps. He was twice a runner-up at Paris-Nice and also won 11 Grand Tour stages, including three at the Tour de France.

Looking back at their short time working together, Mørkøv hailed Yates’ astute racing mind, which was evident during last year’s Giro when he mounted a penultimate stage attack to race into the maglia rosa.

“It has been great working with Simon. He is a really nice guy, and he is really good not only in terms of power, but also tactically really good,” said Mørkøv.

“During the Giro, he made some tactically very smart decisions. When people notice that he has been sitting in some funny places in the peloton, it is actually for a reason that he has done so, because he has seen something in the race.”