Tour de France 2023: Did Simon Yates let twin brother win on Stage 1? Debate rages over Adam Yates victory

Did Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) let his twin brother win the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France? That was the big debate on The Breakaway after a thrilling first chapter saw Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) take a maiden victory at the Tour. The pair combined magnificently to open up an advantage on a select group containing pre-race favourites Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), ensuring it would be a famous day in the Yates household and the rarest of one-two finishes.

Ad But Simon's role in the finale prompted suggestions he might have been working for his brother. The 2018 Vuelta champion offered a huge pull inside the final kilometre before Adam swept past him on the uphill run to the line.

Tour de France'The injury isn’t completely behind him' — Pogacar and Yates to be co-leaders at Tour28/06/2023 AT 13:27 The conspiracy is not without merit. Simon arrived in Bilbao with two Tour stages on his palmares, both from 2018, while Adam was still chasing a first win at cycling's biggest race despite wearing the yellow jersey for four days in 2020.

«If you're going to give yourself the best chance of winning, you don't be the guy doing a massive turn within the last kilometre,» said Robbie McEwen as he laid out the case for a secret pact. «They are twins, Simon's won two stages of the Tour in the past, Adam's never won one until today.» Yellow jersey guide and ratings: Can anyone topple Vingegaard and Pogacar? Tour de France 2023 team guide: Start list, star riders for all 22 teams Tour de France stage guide as Pogacar and Vingegaard battle for yellow McEwen also said that Simon was unlikely to see his brother as a threat in the general classification, given Adam will likely play