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ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Simon Yates wins the Giro d'Italia as Pope Leo XIV blesses the peloton
British rider Simon Yates cruised to overall victory in the Giro d'Italia overnight — finally winning the race that had eluded him so often. After attacking on the gravel-road climb to take the pink jersey in the penultimate stage on Saturday, Yates finished nearly four minutes ahead of runner-up Isaac Del Toro, the 21-year-old Mexican who wore pink for 10 days before Yates took control. It's the second Grand Tour title for Yates after he won the Spanish Vuelta in 2018. "It's a defining moment of my career, there's no doubt about that," Yates said. Yates wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee injury, respectively. "I'm still in shock of what I've done," Yates said. "It's something that I've been working toward for a long time." Yates, who rides for Team Visma Lease a Bike, finished 3 minutes, 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, the 2019 champion from Ecuador. Dutch rider Olav Kooij, Yates' teammate, won the final stage in a sprint finish. It was his second victory in this Giro after also winning the 12th stage — and third overall after winning one in 2024. "Perfect final weekend for us. After yesterday we were all really happy with what Simon pulled off," Kooij said. "To finish it off is really cool." During the non-competitive neutralised period just before the mostly ceremonial final stage actually began, the peloton passed through the Vatican and was blessed by Pope Leo XIV. The 143km final stage concluded with a circuit of eight laps through downtown Rome and finished next to the Circus Maximus — the ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium. At age 32, Yates already acknowledged that this victory is "the peak" of his career. His best finish in the Tour de France was fourth in 2023. AP
CNA
2 days ago
- General
- CNA
Yates wins Giro d'Italia for second Grand Tour title
ROME :Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike won the 2025 Giro d'Italia on Sunday to claim his second Grand Tour victory, having effectively sealed the title a day earlier when he snatched the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro. Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish. Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages. His victory added to his 2018 Vuelta a Espana title. "Honestly, it's still sinking in. What a huge moment in my career... I couldn't be prouder of the whole team over three weeks," said Yates, the Giro's 12th different winner in as many editions. "It's been good that we had the possibility to win the last stage with Olav. So we kept focused till the end. It's a defining moment of my career, there's no doubt about that. It's a sweet success." Having raced for more than 82 hours, Yates eventually finished three minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Del Toro while Richard Carapaz was third, a further 47 seconds behind. Yates, 32, famously lost the title in 2018 on the Colle delle Finestre climb but this year he closed that painful chapter on the same slopes by taking the pink jersey with Saturday's stunning attack in the mountains. After a 3,300-km journey through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143-km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit. POPE'S BLESSINGS The riders also had time to meet Pope Leo, who was gifted a pink jersey before they left Vatican City and rode into Rome. "I hope that, just as you have learned to take care of your bodies, you will also take care of your spirits," the pope told the riders. With the final stage underway, a relaxed Yates was all smiles as he cycled next to his twin brother Adam, putting his arm around the UAE Team Emirates rider. As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go. But with one lap left, only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni were left in the lead. Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left. Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12. "We couldn't wish for a better final weekend. Yesterday was really amazing for the team and today I just had to give everything that was left in the legs," Kooij said after his victory sealed a third stage win for the team this year. Kooij finished ahead of Kaden Groves and Matteo Moschetti as Visma-Lease a Bike became the first team in 26 years to win both the general classification and the final stage. "When the ketchup bottle is almost empty... keep shaking, shaking, shaking," Van Aert said.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Yates wins Giro d'Italia title for second Grand Tour victory
Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 21 - Rome to Rome - Italy - June 1, 2025 General view of cyclists in action as the Palatine Hill is pictured in the background REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 21 - Rome to Rome - Italy - June 1, 2025 Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Olav Kooij celebrates as he crossed the line to win the stage 21 REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini Cycling - Giro d'Italia - Stage 21 - Rome to Rome - Italy - June 1, 2025 Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Simon Yates celebrates after crossing the line to win the Giro d'Italia REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini ROME - Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike won the 2025 Giro d'Italia on Sunday to claim his second Grand Tour victory, having effectively sealed the title a day earlier when he snatched the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro. Yates and other riders received blessings from Pope Leo at the Vatican before the Briton cruised to the finish in Rome on the final stage, which was won by teammate Olav Kooij in a sprint finish. Yates, riding in all pink on a pink bike, also became the first rider since Alberto Contador in 2015 to win the Giro without claiming victory on any of the stages. After riding 3,300 km through Italy, Albania and Slovenia, the final stage was a 143 km ride starting and finishing in Rome, including eight laps of a 9.5 km long circuit in the Eternal City. As the riders cycled past Rome's landmarks like the Colosseum, a six-man breakaway went 24 seconds ahead of the pink jersey group with less than 50 km to go. But by the time they had one lap left, four riders were dropped, with only Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni left in the lead. Cerny then dropped Paleni to attempt a solo ride to the finish but he was quickly reeled in with six kilometres left. Visma-Lease a Bike wanted the perfect finish and they executed it to perfection when Wout Van Aert led the sprint out on the final kilometre before Kooij surged ahead to take the victory, his second after winning stage 12. Kooij finished ahead of Kaden Groves and Matteo Moschetti. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Great Britain's Simon Yates wins Giro d'Italia, team-mate Olav Kooij takes final sprint stage in Rome
Simon Yates has won the Giro d'Italia after safely finishing the 21st stage in Rome. The British rider seized the Maglia Rosa after gaining almost six minutes on Isaac del Toro over the Colle delle Finestre on Saturday. With Sunday's stage largely ceremonial, the 32-year-old simply needed to complete the stage in order to secure his first Giro title, and second Grand Tour overall. Advertisement He did this with no issues, dropping back in the final kilometres as his Visma-Lease a Bike team — all clad in bespoke pink helmets and shirt trim — turned their attention to winning the stage with their Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij. They executed their sprint perfectly, with Wout Van Aert, one day after pacing Yates to Giro glory, leading out Kooij for his second stage of the race. However, Kooij was still nowhere near overhauling Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen's lead in the points competition. The Danish rider, who won four stages of the Giro, has worn the ciclamino jersey throughout. Similarly, Italian rider Lorenzo Fortunato was awarded the blue polka dot mountains jersey, a contest he has dominated after entering the breakaway on almost every hilly stage. Despite losing his Maglia Rosa on the penultimate stage, Del Toro achieved the solace of the white jersey, awarded to the race's best young rider. The 21-year-old's second place is the best placement ever achieved by a Mexican rider in a Grand Tour. Before the stage, which began in the Vatican Gardens, every jersey winner met the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who blessed the competing riders. 'Cycling is so important,' the American told them. 'Thank you for everything you do. I hope you always remember your role as a role model for others. You are always welcome here.' The next Grand Tour in the calendar is the Tour de France, which begins in Lille on July 5. Its leading protagonists, including reigning champion Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel will meet next Sunday in the week-long warm-up Criterium du Dauphine. (Top image:)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Simon Yates finishes safely in peloton to seal victory at Giro d'Italia
Britain's Simon Yates sealed victory in the Giro d'Italia following the final stage from the Vatican City to Rome. Yates took a lead of almost four minutes into stage 21 and finished safely in the peloton as Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Olav Kooij came out on top in a sprint finish. Advertisement Yates effectively sealed victory on Saturday's penultimate stage when he exorcised his personal demons on the Colle delle Finestre with a stunning solo attack to claim the race leader's pink jersey. On the mountain where his dreams of 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 leader Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz on the brutal gradients and the gravel to turn an 81-second deficit and third place into a three minute, 56-second lead over Del Toro. Advertisement With the final stage a largely-ceremonial affair, which started with the leading riders meeting Pope Leo XIV, only a serious crash would have denied Yates a second Grand Tour victory following his success in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana. He is the third British rider to win the Giro after Froome in 2018 and Tao Geohegan Hart in 2020.
