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Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Great Britain's Simon Yates wins his first Giro d'Italia title in Rome
ITALY: Britain's Simon Yates successfully won his first Giro d'Italia title, finishing with a career-defining performance in Rome. With his outstanding win, the athlete expressed: 'It's the defining moment of my career… I've had some good successes, but I don't think anything else comes close.' He added: 'It's really still sinking in. An amazing three weeks… I will celebrate for sure, and we'll see what else is to come.' The athlete then celebrated with his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates during a celebratory ride through the streets of Rome. This milestone adds the Giro title to his Vuelta a España win back in 2018. Furthermore, it also solidified his status as one of Britain's elite Grand Tour riders. Highlights of the race The 32-year-old athlete made a bold move during the penultimate stage as he delivered a powerful attack on the second-to-last climb. This allowed him to be the overall lead, coming in third place. Yates defended the leader's pink jersey for the very first time and confidently held on to it until the final stage, sealing the biggest win of his athletic career. Yates became the second British male cyclist to have won multiple Grand Tours, alongside Chris Froome, who clinched seven titles. Moreover, he is the third British rider to win the Giro d'Italia, following the historic moments of Froome's 2018 victory and Tao Geoghegan Hart's 2020 win. Yates finished three minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Isaac del Toro of Mexico, who placed second. Del Toro also took home the white jersey as the best young rider of the race. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador secured third place, 47 seconds behind Del Toro. Furthermore, Mads Pedersen of Denmark won the mauve jersey for the points classification, while Lorenzo Fortunato of Italy was awarded the blue jersey for best climber in the mountains classification. Here is the final general classification of the Giro d'Italia in Rome: Simon Yates (GB/Visma-Lease A Bike) = 79 hours 18 mins 42 secs Isaac del Toro (Mex/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) = +3 mins 56 secs Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) = +4 mins 43 secs Derek Gee (Can/Israel-Premier Tech) = +6 mins 23 secs Damiano Caruso (Ita/Bahrain Victorious) = +7 mins 32 secs Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) = +9 mins 28 secs Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) = +12 mins 42 secs Einer Rubio (Col/Movistar) = +13 mins 5 secs Brandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) = +13 mins 36 secs Michael Storer (Aus/Tudor Pro Cycling) = +14 mins 27 secs In a social media post shared by Giro d'Italia, it stated: 'Simon Yates wins the Giro d'Italia 2025 🩷🏆.' Netizens expressed their support in the comments section and remarked: 'Back to where we belong 🔝in a pure Visma fashion. It's so amazing to see everyone smiling and with happy tears ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻,' 'Great riding we'll deserved 💪👍,' 'what a ride😍🔥,' and 'Pink suits you @simonyatess 😏🩷 You deserved this victory 🫶🏻.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates hails ‘huge moment in my career'
Simon Yates reflected on a 'sweet success' he had been targeting for much of his life after a spectacular and decisive coup in Saturday's final mountain stage ensured he would ride to victory in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday. At 32, the Lancastrian had not been tipped to add to his sole Grand Tour victory, the 2018 Tour of Spain, but in the mammoth stage over the Colle Delle Finestre, he confounded those expectations to win the sport's second most prestigious race, after the Tour de France. Advertisement 'It's a huge moment in my career, a defining moment maybe,' Yates said after the Giro's closing stage in Rome. 'I don't think anything comes close. I'm just incredibly proud of the whole team over the three weeks. It's a sweet success. 'I've spent a lot of my life targeting this race. There's been a lot of setbacks, and it has been hard to deal with. I'm in disbelief that I have finally managed to pull it off.' Related: Britain's Simon Yates seals Giro d'Italia in Rome for second Grand Tour title Yates, who had been on the verge of winning the 2018 Giro when he endured a dramatic collapse in the pivotal mountain stage, is the third British rider, after Chris Froome and Tao Geoghegan Hart, to win the Italian race. Advertisement The Lancastrian arrived in Rome wearing all-pink kit with matching pink bike, in honour of the Giro's maglia rosa, and was shepherded safely through the final processional sprint stage to secure final victory. Ahead of him his Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Olav Kooij took the final stage in a sprint, as a beaming Yates celebrated in his wake. 'We couldn't wish for a better final weekend,' Kooij said. 'Yesterday was really amazing for the team and today I had to give everything that was left in the legs.' Yates's Giro-winning attack on the crucial climb of the Finestre, the mountain that had dramatically proved his undoing in 2018, stunned onlookers and exploded the overall standings. On social media Geraint Thomas said: 'What is going on?!', as he watched Saturday's drama between the three key protagonists – Yates, Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz – unfold. Advertisement Reminded that Yates had far more experience of Grand Tour racing than the 21‑year‑old Del Toro, Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, was scathing. 'Do you need experience to realise that third place is pulling away and that, if you stop pedalling, he's going to take time out of you? My son Macs would know that, and he's five years old.' Even Yates seemed overwhelmed by the scale of his achievement on the mountain that had once proven his downfall. 'I always had in the back of my mind that maybe I could come here and close the chapter. Maybe not to take the jersey in the race, but at least the stage, to try to show myself the way I know I can do.' He admitted, though, that he 'really did not believe' such a dream scenario was possible. 'I am not really an emotional person, but coming to the finish I couldn't hold back the tears.' Del Toro, who had appeared like Yates in 2018 destined to win the race, hid his disappointment. 'Yates was the most intelligent,' the Mexican said. 'It was good for his team and how they played the tactics.' Advertisement But Carapaz, Giro champion in 2019, rounded on the Mexican. 'In the end, Del Toro lost the Giro,' the Ecuadorian said. 'He didn't know how to race and in the end the smartest [rider] won.' Juan Manuel Gárate, Carapaz's EF Education EasyPost sports director, sought to justify the lack of any serious pursuit of Yates. 'There came a moment where you had to decide: 'If Yates goes, let him go. If Del Toro doesn't follow, he loses the GC.' To win, you have to play the game. And with that comes the risk of losing.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates hails ‘huge moment in my career'
Simon Yates reflected on a 'sweet success' he had been targeting for much of his life after a spectacular and decisive coup in Saturday's final mountain stage ensured he would ride to victory in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday. At 32, the Lancastrian had not been tipped to add to his sole Grand Tour victory, the 2018 Tour of Spain, but in the mammoth stage over the Colle Delle Finestre, he confounded those expectations to win the sport's second most prestigious race, after the Tour de France. 'It's a huge moment in my career, a defining moment maybe,' Yates said after the Giro's closing stage in Rome. 'I don't think anything comes close. I'm just incredibly proud of the whole team over the three weeks. It's a sweet success. 'I've spent a lot of my life targeting this race. There's been a lot of setbacks, and it has been hard to deal with. I'm in disbelief that I have finally managed to pull it off.' Yates, who had been on the verge of winning the 2018 Giro when he endured a dramatic collapse in the pivotal mountain stage, is the third British rider, after Chris Froome and Tao Geoghegan Hart, to win the Italian race. The Lancastrian arrived in Rome wearing all-pink kit with matching pink bike, in honour of the Giro's maglia rosa, and was shepherded safely through the final processional sprint stage to secure final victory. Ahead of him his Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Olav Kooij took the final stage in a sprint, as a beaming Yates celebrated in his wake. 'We couldn't wish for a better final weekend,' Kooij said. 'Yesterday was really amazing for the team and today I had to give everything that was left in the legs.' Yates's Giro-winning attack on the crucial climb of the Finestre, the mountain that had dramatically proved his undoing in 2018, stunned onlookers and exploded the overall standings. On social media Geraint Thomas said: 'What is going on?!', as he watched Saturday's drama between the three key protagonists – Yates, Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz – unfold. Reminded that Yates had far more experience of Grand Tour racing than the 21‑year‑old Del Toro, Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, was scathing. 'Do you need experience to realise that third place is pulling away and that, if you stop pedalling, he's going to take time out of you? My son Macs would know that, and he's five years old.' Even Yates seemed overwhelmed by the scale of his achievement on the mountain that had once proven his downfall. 'I always had in the back of my mind that maybe I could come here and close the chapter. Maybe not to take the jersey in the race, but at least the stage, to try to show myself the way I know I can do.' He admitted, though, that he 'really did not believe' such a dream scenario was possible. 'I am not really an emotional person, but coming to the finish I couldn't hold back the tears.' Del Toro, who had appeared like Yates in 2018 destined to win the race, hid his disappointment. 'Yates was the most intelligent,' the Mexican said. 'It was good for his team and how they played the tactics.' But Carapaz, Giro champion in 2019, rounded on the Mexican. 'In the end, Del Toro lost the Giro,' the Ecuadorian said. 'He didn't know how to race and in the end the smartest [rider] won.' Juan Manuel Gárate, Carapaz's EF Education EasyPost sports director, sought to justify the lack of any serious pursuit of Yates. 'There came a moment where you had to decide: 'If Yates goes, let him go. If Del Toro doesn't follow, he loses the GC.' To win, you have to play the game. And with that comes the risk of losing.'
CNA
3 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.
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:)
