Simon Yates is set to try and retain his Tirreno-Adriatico title after taking victory last year in fine style against fellow British rider, Geraint Thomas. Yates (BikeExchange) is using the week-long stage race as part of his preparation towards his main goal of finally winning the Giro d’Italia. Last year saw the rider, from Bury in Greater Manchester, put on an amazing performance on the main mountain finish, riding away from his rivals before holding on in the final individual time trial around San Benedetto del Tronto. But his fortune didn’t carry into last year’s Giro, which was much closer on the calendar to the ‘race of the two seas’ due to the rescheduling of races after the Covid-19 shutdown, as Yates had tested positive for the virus after losing several minutes, forcing him to abandon.