Giro d’Italia 2021: Simon Yates favourite but road to victory far from smooth | William Fotheringham
The British rider has every chance of claiming the pink jersey but knows only too well the unpredictable nature of the Giro
Being the favourite for any race does not come easily to Simon Yates, let alone being odds-on to win a three-week Grand Tour such as the Giro d’Italia, which starts in Turin on Saturday. Like it or not, however, the 28-year-old from Bury will carry that tag until events prove otherwise, or until he is crowned the winner in Milan on Sunday 30 May.
As Yates acknowledged this week, the Giro is unpredictable, and it has done him few favours in the past, most notably in 2018 when he led for much of the race but collapsed three days from the finish. “I’m hoping for a clear run this year. Two years ago I made some mistakes in training beforehand, and I did too much too early in 2018. A guy can come from nowhere and win [it] as I know from personal experience.”