This year’s Tour de France has been packed with plenty of action and there’s a big reason that plenty more Brits and Mancs, specifically, have been watching: two of the best riders this year are a couple of brothers from Bury.
If you’re not clued up on the cycling world then you might be forgiven for not knowing the names Adam and Simon Yates and even for those clued up, the blokes from Bury were still considered relative outside contenders before the start of the race.
Nevertheless, the two twins from the Greater Manchester borough have been battling it out right at the top end of the competition and while the current two frontrunners are comfortably ahead of the pack as we head into stage 11, the Yates brothers are still well in contention for top 10 finishes.
If they play their cards right for the remainder of the tour, they could even take third and fourth. Who knows? It’s a long old race.
Emerging as leaders in the opening stage on Saturday, 1 July, Adam Yates took control of the yellow jersey after the first 113 miles with brother Simon in tow right behind him, meaning that there was a one-two finish for the Mancs on the opening weekend.
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Adam ended up finishing in 21st after stage two and behind Simon but retained the yellow jersey and did so right through to stage four after once again finishing first in stage three and still registering a strong time the following day, with Simon still boasting third in the standings at that point.
The leading Bury brother eventually conceded the yellow jersey but only dropped down to fifth overall with the slower of the two Yates sat not far behind in seventh. In fact, by stage seven, Simon had overtaken Adam before the pair swapped places once again.
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Regardless, the two have stayed within touching distance of each other throughout and have been delighting fans back home. Here’s Adam Yates reacting to his first stage win — safe to say, he was a bit knackered…
A delighted but exhausted Adam Yates reflects on his Tour de France stage win 🗣 pic.twitter.com/73S7Bkblq4
Thankfully, the Yates boys happily traded back and forth, sharing each other’s slipstream and maintaining their momentum and have continued to help each other in spells despite under different banners — Adam racing for UAE Team Emirates and Simon with Team Jayco-AlUla.
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Better still, the brothers haven’t let the competition get in the way of the usual familiar banter, posting images with captions like, “Pesky younger brothers hey…” and even a bit of self-deprecation, with Simon joking that he is the “slowest man to ever wear the green jersey.”
Here’s hoping they finish the Tour de France 2023 nice and high and can boast some colours come 23 July. Keep it going lads, us Mancs are right behind you!
Cheshire Police said in a statement: “Police are investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner following a multiple collision at Oulton Park this afternoon (Monday 5 May).
“Emergency services were called to the scene following the collision which resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another with serious injuries.
“Due to the severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the event was cancelled.
“The two riders who sadly died have been named as Owen Jenner (21) and Shane Richardson (29).”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær says just three players have spoken to him since leaving Manchester United
Danny Jones
Club legend and ex-Manchester United player turned manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has revealed that just three of his former players have been in touch since leaving Old Trafford.
Solskjær was sacked from the role as Man United head coach back in November 2021 after having been given the job permanently following an impressive winning run as interim manager.
The practically perfect start back at the helm of the club – where he starred as the ‘super sub’ during his playing days – was followed by a big slump, and the final decision was ultimately made in the wake of a 4-1 loss to Watford.
However, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’s’ popularity among the players and the fans alike was never in question, so it’s come as somewhat of a surprise to many fans that Solskjær has said only a specific trio of United players have got in touch with him since his dream job came to an end.
At least two of the names read out might not surprise fans, as not only was then-club captain Harry Maguire one of his first statement signings, but so was Bruno Fernandes, who now has the armband, and both have remained key players and leadership figures pretty much ever since.
Speaking to BBC Sport on the senior duo, Ole said, “For me, Harry has always been a leader and a fighter”, and never had any doubts about him deputising for him on the pitch, before going on to label both the centre-back and Bruno as “top human beings.”
As for the third, although Victor Lindelöf looks set to leave the club this summer, he’s actually been a long-serving squad member, having joined back in 2017 and been a seemingly popular figure around the dressing room, even if injury problems have sometimes hampered his minutes.
He also went on to discuss other matters regarding the club, including confessing that it’s “hard to watch” United amidst their present struggles, both under previous manager Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim – even with a potential Europa League trophy consolation on the cards.
The retired striker also stated that he found the decision to let midfielder Scott McTominay go more than surprising, especially given the incredible performances he’s put on display since moving to Serie A.
Danny Jones -
12th July 2023 
