A Bury cycling club boasting two Tour de France competitors among its ranks is “really, really proud” as the pair showcase their talent to the world.
Twins Adam and Simon Yates battled it out on the first day of Tour de France, with Adam beating his brother to victory to take the yellow jersey at the opening stage in Bilbao on Saturday.
And Monday saw Adam, who races for UAE Team Emirates, retained the yellow jersey as Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen took the win at stage three in Amorebieta-Etxano – Bayonne.
While the 30-year-olds now race for rival teams, with Simon representing Jayco-AlUla, both twins began their ascent as members of Bury Clarion Cycling Club, following in their footsteps of their dad John.
Both John and their mum Sue have travelled to support the twins in their motorhome, joined by other members of the club, of which Simon and Adam became members of as children.
Nick Hall, an ex-chair of the club and current treasurer and membership secretary, is a good friend of the Yates family and has been cycling with the brothers since they were aged around 10.
He says that the brothers always had dreams of becoming professional racers.
He said: “You’d go out with them, and at the time, most kids of that age their dream was to play for United because United were winning everything at the time.
“Simon and Adam wanted to become professional cyclists, they would say that while they were out riding.
“At that age you could tell that they were something special but I don’t think that anybody could really have predicted they would be quite as successful as they have been.
He said members of Bury Clarion are feeling “really, really proud” to see two local lads succeed on a global cycling stage.
Nick added: “Everybody’s really made up by it.
“They’ve had lots of success over the last 10, 12 years that they’ve been professionals to be first and joint-second as they are now in the Tour de France, it’s just amazing.
“It’s certainly a dream come true for their parents.”
Bury Clarion has a long history in the borough, having been formed in 1901 after a group of seven women cycled through the streets of Bury, drawing cries of “shame” from outranged passersby.
The women were followed by 20 more men, also on bikes, and the Bury section of the National Clarion Cycling Club was born.
Today, Nick says that training to become a professional racer remains gruelling and both Adam and Simon would be cycling seven days a week, for about four or five hours a day in addition to training at the gym.
Despite their rivalry on the track, Simon and Adam remain close and keen supporters of each other.
Nick said: “It’s a friendly rivalry, I think they’ll tell you that they talk to each other virtually every day, so they are very close.”
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