170. Sean Yates: the truth behind Wiggins, Froome and the Tour

This week, James and Will are joined by Sean Yates, one of the hardest, most talented British riders of his generation and one of the cycling’s most experienced coaches and sports directors.

Sean cut his teeth in 1981 at the infamous school of cycling hard knocks, Athletic Club Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris before turning pro in 1982 with Peugeot, where he would ride alongside Stephen Roche and Robert Millar. Despite solid domestique performances, big results alluded Sean until 1988, where stage wins at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España put ‘The Animal’ on the British stars map. A contract with US team 7-Eleven (later Motorola) followed, which saw Sean race alongside Lance Armstrong and Andy Hampsten. Those years were produced more fine performances, the best of which saw Sean wear the yellow jersey at the 1994 Tour de France, only the third Brit ever to do so after Tom Simpson (1962) and Chris Boardman (1994, 1997). As Sean explains, however, those years were also supremely hard for all of the wrong reasons, something which expediated his retirement as professional rider in 1996.

But like most ex-pros, Sean couldn’t stay away, and in 2001 he took up his first sports director post at Linda McCartney Racing Team, where he’d find himself briefly in charge of an up-and-coming star called Bradley Wiggins. Stints at Team CSC, Discovery Channel and Astana followed, before he took up a DS role at the newly formed Team Sky in 2010. Back with Wiggins, Sean helped steer the next great hope to Britain’s first Tour de France victory, famously ‘talking Wiggins down’ from quitting mid-Tour after a bust up with teammate Chris Froome.

Sadly the 2012 season drew to an acrimonious close, with Sean parting ways from Sky, moving to pastures new at Tinkoff-Saxo, where he’d stay until 2016.

In this episode, Sean talks candidly about his relationship with Wiggins and the split with Team Sky; the ‘All’s fair in love and war and cycling’ philosophy that helps keep professional cycling (mostly) one happy family; racing with Lance through cycling’s darkest years; falling off a ladder and having to have an eight-inch stick removed from his bowels; finally getting one over on Dave Brailsford; and how he’s still riding six hours a day, and why he’ll never stop.

We also talk about the upcoming Garmin Champions in CycleSport annual gala event, which sees cycling stars – including Sean – come together to raise money for Action Medical Research, which raises much needed funds to support cutting edge medical research in children’s diseases and disabilities.

See action.org.uk for more details including how you can support and donate.

Chat begins at 9.49

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