Simon Yates dismissed the idea that racing with his brother would be a problem after his brother Adam Yates decided to move to Ineos Grenadiers over the winter.

The brothers turned pro with Orica GreenEdge in 2014 and raced for the Australian team until Adam departed on a two-year contract. Simon will remain with Team BikeExchange and lead the team in either the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France before focusing on the Tokyo Olympics.

At the Team BikeExchange training camp in Spain, he told Cycling News that racing with his brother would spark further interest for cycling fans.

"It would be interesting. I don't know if we will race the same race. I don't know his race program yet, and I don't know if our paths will cross. If we do race, it will be exciting for the fans. Simon Yates told Cycling News, "He has a training camp in Ineos.

"Race-wise, a different race program won't change anything. In terms of racing, a different race program won't change anything. But I don't think it will be a problem. But unfortunately it will be difficult because I know how good he is. But we already had a training camp together in Gran Canaria, and the training camp here is different, we haven't practiced together."

As Yates mentioned, if, for example, Simon concentrates on the Giro d'Italia and aims for a stage win in the Tour de France, Adam could be asked to work under Grand Tour leaders like Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas.

Simon Yates has a relatively sparse calendar at this point, with Valenciana as his first race and no spring classics scheduled. Sooner or later, the brothers will be competing shoulder to shoulder at the front of the peloton. When that happens, Yates believes their professionalism will shine through at key moments, and team orders will dictate their actions.

"We haven't raced each other yet, but I don't think it will be a problem; we both want to win big races and we are both professionals, so I'm confident that our legs will decide."

"I wanted him to stay, but sometimes you have to make decisions. He was happy here too, but he had the chance to change."

Change for Simon Yates was also a possibility in his career. Several suitors have waved suitcases of cash in his direction over the years in an attempt to pry him away from Gerry Ryan, but the 2018 Vuelta a España winner has resisted every chance to leave the Australian team.

"You always think the grass is greener on the other side, but I'm comfortable here. They understand me and I understand them. The first couple of years we didn't, and it took us a long time to understand each other. We are doing that now, but if I went to another team and started over, it might take a very long time. For me, I feel comfortable here, and if it's not broken, why do I need to fix it?

Yates is waiting for the full Giro d'Italia route announcement before announcing his Grand Tour plans for this year, but with so many time trials in the Tour de France and the need to conserve his fitness due to the proximity of the Tour and the Olympics, the 28-year-old will take on Maria Rosa, and the July A possible scenario would be to aim for a stage in July. This plan has yet to be confirmed by Yates and his team, but would certainly give him some breathing room as he prepares for Tokyo and a course perfectly suited to his skills.

"I didn't grow up wanting to win the Tour or anything like that. Of course, my career has evolved into other things, but I still dream of competing in the Olympics. It just so happens that the course suits me, and I dream of winning a gold medal. There are only four of us on the team, so it will be hard to get selected, but we'll see," he told Cycling News.

"I've never actually been there, but I did a lot of scouting on the computer. I rode most of the laps and made some specific efforts for the race. From what I've heard from everyone, it's going to be the toughest conditions on the planet, and I think that's going to define the race."

"But as far as the Grand Tour goes, I don't have any hopes yet, but my dream is to go to the Olympics, so a lot of my season revolves around that. Of course, I have a team and they pay me a salary, so I have to do certain races. I know the Tour, and it's not very good for me. There are a lot of time trial kilometers and a lot of flat stages. So we'll see if I target GC or stages, just like I did in 2019."

A second attempt at the Giro could be a break for Yates in a race he has been trying to win since 2018, when he led but collapsed in the final days. He finished eighth a year later, but a positive test for COVID-19 forced his withdrawal from the 2020 event.

"If the route is suitable for the Giro, that would be the best direction. That way we can do the Tour as training and go for certain stages without getting completely exhausted. Both are great races, so I don't have any likes or dislikes. Of course I would love to go back and win the Giro, but if this isn't the year, so be it."