Now with a Vuelta a España victory notch on his top-tube, Yates noted there was unfinished business to deal with at the Giro after he aggressively led the 2018 race for 13 stages before running out of legs on Stage 19.
“I’m looking forward to returning to the Giro d’Italia next year," he said. "It’s a race I have great memories from but one which also left a bitter taste in my mouth so I want to go back to try to finish the job off.
“I’m already working hard to arrive in great shape and I can’t wait for the season to begin.
“The Giro is always an extremely difficult race and next year, with three time trials, it’s maybe not perfectly suited to me but we will still give it a real go and see what we can achieve.”
Yates will have to battle two-time winner [2013/2016] Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), who finished second to Chris Froome (Sky) this year after winning in 2017, with both riders announcing the race as a priority for the coming season.
“I had a gut feeling that Simon would want to go back to the Giro d’Italia," Mitchelton-Scott head sports director Matt White said. “It was Simon’s first Giro d’Italia this year and it’ll be a Giro he will never forget.
"He liked the style of racing there, he liked his experience at the Giro, he had the most success he has ever had at any race and then the biggest disappointment that he has ever had.
“Experience does matter. He will return with the self-assurance that he’s been there, he knows what to expect with the different style of racing and he and the team know they can win a Grand Tour."
