Simon Yates crowned WorldTour champion after successful season

Image: Simon Yates is the WorldTour champion for 2018 after a memorable season

Britain's Simon Yates was crowned WorldTour champion at the conclusion of the 2018 season in China on Sunday.

Yates, who rides for Mitchelton-Scott, won his first Grand Tour when victorious at the Vuelta a Espana in September, having led the Giro d'Italia earlier in the season before a late collapse.

The Bury rider also had top five overall finishes at Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalunya and Tour of Poland and won seven individual stages to accumulate the most points across the season.

"After a week or so off the bike to reflect, it's been an amazing year and one I will always remember," Yates said.

"The results have been special, but also results that I feel I have been working towards and getting closer to every year since becoming a professional, and to finish at the top of the WorldTour rankings just tops it off."

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Image: Simon Yates also led the Giro d'Italia in the early part of the season for a fortnight

"Of course, the Vuelta is the highlight as my first Grand Tour victory, and how we pulled together as a team to get everything right for that month of racing was incredible.

"But, despite the disappointment in the final days, I also look back at the Giro with a lot of pride at how we raced and what we achieved there.

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"I like to race on instinct. I think that's what works best for me and what fans want to see, and I hope that I continue to do so and achieve more big results in the coming years."

Quick-Step Floors won the men's team prize after an incredible 73 victories this season, with Team Sky finishing second.

Annemiek Van Vleuten, who rides for Mitchelton-Scott's women's team, secured a total of 13 victories in 2018 to land the women's prize ahead of former team-mate Marianne Vos.

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