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Simon Yates rides away with prize of Giro d'Italia while rivals lose the plot
Simon Yates rides away with prize of Giro d'Italia while rivals lose the plot

The Guardian

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Guardian

Simon Yates rides away with prize of Giro d'Italia while rivals lose the plot

The Mexican standoff is a much-loved cinematic device, but the stalemate beloved of western movie script writers has rarely, if ever, decided one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 2025 Giro d'Italia was the exception, appositely as the biggest loser was an actual Mexican, Isaac del Toro, with the unassuming Lancastrian Simon Yates the two-wheeled equivalent of the bandit who skips off with the loot, while two other bandits – in this case Richard Carapaz and Del Toro – stare each other down waiting for the other man to blink. Yates's second career Grand Tour win, forged on the Colle delle Finestre on Saturday afternoon in a peerless display of courage and cunning, and sealed 24 hours later in the streets of Rome, will go down in cycling's annals as one of the most improbable heists the sport has witnessed. The endless joy of the Grand Tours – Spain, France, Italy – is that they throw up all kinds of delightful scenarios, but there have been few, if any, where the decisive plot line was a frozen stalemate between the cyclists in first and second places, each waiting for the other to move while a third man skipped away to victory. This was probably the most bizarre act of self-immolation in a Grand Tour since 1989, when Pedro Delgado wrecked his race on day one by getting lost en route to the start of the prologue time trial. To understand how this happened, the first key element is Yates himself. Now 32, his career has been marked by two qualities: patience and sang-froid. His ability to wait for the right moment, and to seize that moment, has been the hallmark of his best wins, going back to his earliest triumphs: his 2011 stage win in the Tour de l'Avenir, his 2013 world title in the points race on the velodrome in Minsk, and his Tour of Britain stage win later that year. When he threw caution to the winds, at the Giro in 2018, it backfired spectacularly at the end of the three weeks, in no less a place than the Colle delle Finestre; when he won the Vuelta a few months later, he had learned the lesson and bided his time. That it has taken so long for him to take a second Grand Tour can be largely summed up in one word: Slovenia. Seven years ago, no one would have predicted the rise and rise of Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic. Yates first looked like a potential winner on the day that Del Toro took the race lead, the gravel‑road stage into Siena, and he had ridden the perfect race since then, never losing enough time to rule him out, never putting his cards on the table. It took more than guts and patience; it needed the other pieces of the tactical jigsaw to slot into place. His team, Visma‑Lease-a-Bike, did what they had to do best: sending a satellite rider ahead in the day's main escape in case of need. Most days, the pawns had had limited impact; here, the strongest and most versatile, the Belgian Wout van Aert, was in the perfect position to help Yates to mess with Del Toro's and Carapaz's minds. Neither the Mexican nor the Ecuadorian had a teammate in place alongside Van Aert, an egregious blunder, because if either man had had an equipier to hand at the key moment – at the foot of the descent off the Finestre with 36km remaining when Yates was still just about within reach – it could well have tipped the balance. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Unwittingly, Carapaz's EF Education team slotted in another piece at the foot of the Finestre, where the EF domestiques ensured that the peloton would hit the climb at warp speed, paving the way for Carapaz to attack Del Toro. In the event, the Ecuadorian was unable to dislodge the Mexican, but their violent acceleration achieved something more insidious: it burned off Del Toro's teammates, who had defended his lead impeccably for 11 stages. By the time they rejoined Del Toro, Yates was long gone. Once Yates had flown the coop at the foot of the Finestre, it was Del Toro's job, as the race leader, to pursue the Lancastrian, whether or not he had any teammates with him. But he knew that to do so would expose him to a late attack from Carapaz, who had started the day only 43sec behind. And Carapaz was equally aware that if he chased, Del Toro might be the beneficiary. It needed either to seize the initiative, or for one team manager to issue an ultimatum to his rider. Without that, the upshot was the absorbing but unedifying spectacle of the pair freewheeling as Yates forged ahead with Van Aert – unedifying that is, unless you were a Visma team member, a British cycling fan or a connoisseur of the bizarre twists that bike racing unfailingly produces.

Australian cyclist Chris Harper claims penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia, as Simon Yates bursts to the lead
Australian cyclist Chris Harper claims penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia, as Simon Yates bursts to the lead

ABC News

time2 days ago

  • General
  • ABC News

Australian cyclist Chris Harper claims penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia, as Simon Yates bursts to the lead

Australian Chris Harper has won the penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia with the ride of his life — but he was still happy to play second fiddle to his one-time British teammate Simon Yates, who sensationally exploded the race to grab almost certain overall victory. Harper, a 30-year-old stalwart for Australian team Jayco AlUla, enjoyed his first ever individual grand tour victory with an epic solo effort on the brutal 20th 'queen' stage from Verres to Sestriere, conquering one of cycling's most brutal climbs, the Colle delle Finestre, to battle home alone one minute 49 seconds clear of the field. It was a wondrous moment for Harper, a fine 12-year pro, as he rode clear of a breakaway near the top of the climb on Saturday and then held on for his first race victory for nearly six years, as an incredible story was building behind him. His ex-Jayco teammate Yates, now at Team Visma-Lease a Bike, dropped race leader Isaac del Toro on the Finestre with another monumental ride to clinch the leader's pink jersey with just one flat, largely ceremonial flat stage left. Yates, who had started the day 1min 21sec adrift, ended it 3:56 ahead of del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, and he'll ride into Rome with a second grand tour title in the bag. The great irony is that 32-year-old Yates, a former Vuelta winner, had lost the Giro to Chris Froome by cracking on the same climb seven years ago when he was with the Jayco team known then as Mitchelton-Scott. Sunday's redemption ride left Yates sobbing with joy. "I don't know what I'm happier about, though, getting a stage win or seeing Yatesy win pink," Harper said. "He's an awesome guy, I had the pleasure of racing with him for a couple of seasons and I don't think anyone deserves the pink jersey more than him. "It means a lot for me to win on this stage. It's such a famous climb and I'm pretty proud to win the stage here. It's a super challenging one, and I'm really happy I could pull it off." Harper became Australia's third stage winner of the 2025 Giro after Kaden Groves took the sixth stage and Luke Plapp soloed away in the eighth. "I came here looking for GC (the general classification) and I was feeling good in the first week, but then got sick on the second rest day," he said. "I started to feel pretty bad and ended up on antibiotics, and then slipped off of the GC. After that, I was looking for a stage win." It came in dramatic fashion as he made one key push with 16km left and then finally rode his last challenger, runner-up Alessandro Verre (Arkea-B&B Hotels), off his wheel. Harper still couldn't be sure of the win, though, with Yates catching him fast in third place. "I asked the (team) car one last time how big the gap was, I knew Simon was coming, I wasn't super confident. Only once I got to about 1.5km to go, I knew I could hold on. It was a bit of a relief," he said. "When the route was released I always had in the back of my mind to try and do something here and close the chapter, let's say. "I'm still a bit speechless really." AAP

Aussie Harper wins and Yates rides into pink at Giro
Aussie Harper wins and Yates rides into pink at Giro

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • General
  • Yahoo

Aussie Harper wins and Yates rides into pink at Giro

Australian Chris Harper has won the penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia with the ride of his life - but he was still happy to play second fiddle to his one-time British teammate Simon Yates, who sensationally exploded the race to grab almost certain overall victory. Harper, a 30-year-old stalwart for Australian team Jayco AlUla, enjoyed his first ever individual grand tour victory with an epic solo effort on the brutal 20th 'queen' stage from Verres to Sestriere, conquering one of cycling's most brutal climbs, the Colle delle Finestre, to battle home alone one minute 49 seconds clear of the field. It was a wondrous moment for Harper, a fine 12-year pro, as he rode clear of a breakaway near the top of the climb on Saturday and then held on for his first race victory for nearly six years, as an incredible story was building behind him. 🎙️ "Mentally and physcially, it's been a difficult Giro. I don't think anyone deserves the Maglia Rosa more than him [Simon Yates] " - 🏆 🇦🇺 @chrisharper94 #GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 31, 2025 His ex-Jayco teammate Yates, now at Team Visma-Lease a Bike, dropped race leader Isaac del Toro on the Finestre with another monumental ride to clinch the leader's pink jersey with just one flat, largely ceremonial flat stage left. Yates, who'd started the day 1min 21sec adrift, ended it 3:56 ahead of del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, and he'll ride into Rome with a second grand tour title in the bag. The great irony is that 32-year-old Yates, a former Vuelta winner, had lost the Giro to Chris Froome by cracking on the same climb seven years ago when he was with the Jayco team known then as Mitchelton-Scott. Sunday's redemption ride left the Briton sobbing with joy. "I don't know what I'm happier about, though, getting a stage win or seeing Yatesy win pink. He's an awesome guy, I had the pleasure of racing with him for a couple of seasons and I don't think anyone deserves the pink jersey more than him," said Harper. "It means a lot for me to win on this stage. It's such a famous climb and I'm pretty proud to win the stage here. It's a super challenging one, and I'm really happy I could pull it off." "Mentally and physically it's been a challenging Giro," added Adelaide rider Harper, who became Australia's third stage winner of the 2025 Giro after Kaden Groves took the sixth stage and another Jayco man Luke Plapp soloed away in the eighth. "I came here looking for GC (the general classification) and I was feeling good in the first week, but then got sick on the second rest day. "I started to feel pretty bad and ended up on antibiotics, and then slipped off of the GC. After that, I was looking for a stage win." It came in dramatic fashion as he made one key push with 16km left and then finally rode his last challenger, runner-up Alessandro Verre (Arkea-B&B Hotels), off his wheel. Harper still couldn't be sure of the win, though, with Yates catching him fast in third place. "I asked the (team) car one last time how big the gap was, I knew Simon was coming, I wasn't super confident. Only once I got to about 1.5km to go, I knew I could hold on. It was a bit of a relief. "When the route was released I always had in the back of my mind to try and do something here and close the chapter, let's say," said Yates. "I'm still a bit speechless really."

Simon Yates conquers his demons to stunningly snatch Giro d'Italia glory on penultimate day
Simon Yates conquers his demons to stunningly snatch Giro d'Italia glory on penultimate day

The Independent

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Independent

Simon Yates conquers his demons to stunningly snatch Giro d'Italia glory on penultimate day

Simon Yates stands to win the Giro d'Italia after putting to bed his personal demons on the Colle delle Finestre with a stunning solo attack that put him in pink after the penultimate stage. On the mountain where his dreams of Giro victory were shattered by Chris Froome 's famous solo breakaway in 2018, Yates turned the tables with a masterclass of his own as his rivals were left to question their own tactics. The 32-year-old Lancastrian rode away from Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz on the brutal gradients and the gravel to turn an 81-second deficit and third place into pink and a three minute, 56-second lead over Del Toro, and can now celebrate his second Grand Tour crown in Rome on Sunday. That it happened on the Finestre made it all the more special for Yates. 'I think when the route of the parcours was released, I always had in the back of my mind to try and do something here and close the chapter, let's say,' he said. 'I'm just still a bit speechless that I was able to do it. 'I felt good, the whole race I did, but I never had the right moment to show what I could do and I found the opportunity today. I was trying to get away from Richard and Isaac because I knew when I could race at my own pace, I'd be really strong – and that's what I managed to do. 'The whole team have been fantastic the entire race, and without Wout (Van Aert) in the valley and the rest of the team the entire day, it wouldn't have been possible. 'Maybe I was looking relaxed this morning, but I had doubts I could do it. The guys encouraged me and believed in me, so thanks to them. 'It's unbelievable, I'm trying to find the words now, but words are failing me – sorry.' Australian Chris Harper took the stage 20 win from a breakaway in Sestriere but all eyes were further down the road as Yates blew the race apart with surely his finest day on a bike, shedding tears after the finish line. Carapaz and his EF Education-EasyPost team had been lining up an attack at the foot of the feared Finestre – the 18km climb which averages 9.2 per cent, with the final third ridden on gravel – and duly launched it almost as soon as the road went up. As UAE Team Emirates' Del Toro followed, Yates was initially distanced but was merely biding his time as he soon set off in pursuit, catching the pair and then launching his own attacks, opening up a gap with the fourth and riding clear, still with more than 40km of the 205km stage remaining. Carapaz tried to respond but could not, while the 21-year-old Del Toro, spending an 11th day in the pink jersey, simply stuck the Ecuadorian's wheel, refusing to take a turn until it proved to be too late. Yates crossed the summit of the climb, above the snow line and in the clouds, more than 90 seconds ahead of them, already the virtual leader of the race. That gap only grew on the descent as he hooked up with Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Wout Van Aert and the pair behind accepted defeat, allowing the gap to balloon on the approach to the final climb into Sestriere. With Sunday's final stage in Rome one for the sprinters, Yates stands ready to celebrate his second Grand Tour victory following his win in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana. He will be the third Briton to win the Giro after Froome in 2018 and Tao Geohegan Hart in 2020.

Simon Yates pulls off stunning comeback to all but seal Giro d'Italia triumph
Simon Yates pulls off stunning comeback to all but seal Giro d'Italia triumph

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • General
  • Yahoo

Simon Yates pulls off stunning comeback to all but seal Giro d'Italia triumph

The Colle delle Finestre is a sporting theatre in the north of Italy and just a short ski run from the border of France but it has become the site of two of Britain's most incredible moments in this race. In 2018 Simon Yates was leading the Giro d'Italia by 3min 22sec but became the victim of Chris Froome's imperious ride on the same slopes. That day, Yates collapsed and ultimately finished 38 minutes behind Froome but on Saturday, seven years later, the rider from Bury would have his redemption by pulling the same trick on Isaac del Toro and Yates will now – barring accidents – win his second Grand Tour on Sunday. This was billed as Del Toro v Richard Carapaz and even pre-stage Yates was playing down his chances, he said those two riders were a 'step above'. This was clearly a bluff. Over the last 38.5km of almost entirely uphill racing, Yates overturned his 1min 21sec pre-stage deficit and created an insurmountable time gap of 3mins 56sec to Del Toro. Advertisement What happened in 2018 has clearly stayed with Yates ever since and from the moment the Giro released its route for this year he has been targeting some kind of redemption. Related: Giro d'Italia: battle for overall title in mountains on stage 20 – live 'Once the parcours was released I always had it in the back of my mind that maybe I could come here and close the chapter. Maybe not to take the pink jersey and the race but at least win the stage win or something,' the 32-year-old told TNT Sports after the stage, almost through tears. 'To try and show myself, the way I know I can do and to pull it off – I really didn't believe it. I have to thank the guys, the team. They believed in me and even during the stage they were saying 'just give it a try' and I did it in the end. 'I'm not really an emotional person really but even coming over the finish line I couldn't hold back the tears. It's something I've worked towards throughout my career, year after year and I've had a lot of setbacks. I've finally managed to pull it off.' Advertisement The stage itself was won by Chris Harper of Team Jayco–AlUla, who pulled clear on the Finestre and let all the drama unfold behind him. And it was some drama. What should not be overlooked in this whole piece is the role of Wout van Aert, Yates's Visma–Lease a Bike teammate, who snuck into a huge breakaway by the virtue of being part of the final 19-man group that chased down the first 12 riders who sped off from Verrès. Yates had a GC lead of 1min 40secs on the road when he found Van Aert on the descent down the Finestre and by the time the Belgian turned off the gas the gap back to Del Toro was almost four minutes. Visma–Lease a Bike have followed a similar tactic of sending a man up the road on almost every stage, but few are as good at this job as Van Aert, who Yates described as crucial in the victory. However, the Briton had done a lot of the hard work himself. Yates was not even part of the original attack on Del Toro at the bottom of the category one climb up the Finestre. EF Education-EasyPost had set up the slingshot for Carapaz to fire off from a crumbling peloton as the gradient reached 14%. Yates responded to successfully bridge the 20-second gap to Carapaz and Del Toro, who looked comfortable on the back of the Ecuadorian's wheel, to form the group of protagonists who would decide the GC battle. Advertisement Yates and Carapaz took it in turns to attack Del Toro, but the Mexican seemed less bothered when the Briton would get out of the saddle. Even when Yates made a move that stuck Del Toro seemed more interested in Carapaz than chasing down the man who would go on to steal away the Giro. As Yates increased the time gap on the gravel track up the mountain, Del Toro just followed Carapaz and by the time the man riding in pink realised he might have a problem it was far too late. Questions will have to be answered by UAE Team Emirates XRG as to how they let their rider, who always looked as if he had more in the tank, simply watch Yates ride off with the pink jersey. Apparently Yates was the only man who did not think he could pull of the remarkable turnaround, even as the UAE riders on the road fumed into their radios when it became clear the race was over on the final climb up to Sestriere. '200m to go [was when I believed I could win the Giro],' said Yates. 'I was on the radio blabbing asking for the time gap because I never truly believed until the very last moment.' This is a redemption story for the ages and sees Yates earn a second Grand Tour win (after his Vuelta a España triumph in 2018) that must elevate him into the upper echelons of British cycling greats. After the processional stage into Rome he will officially become the third Briton to win the Giro in the last decade. Few have claimed one of cycling's big three races in such a remarkable manner and having been the victim of one of those dramas, it is fitting that Yates can now move on from 2018 so definitively.

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