Latest news with #aBike
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Simon Yates Wins 2025 Giro d'Italia in Historic Finish
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. 'Then at some point everything comes out at once, that's what happened.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Yates wins Giro d'Italia for second Grand Tour title
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. 'Then at some point everything comes out at once, that's what happened.'
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
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. 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. Simon Yates wins the Giro d'Italia 2025 🩷🏆 Simon Yates vince il Giro d'Italia 2025 🩷🏆 🎨 Alessio Giannone #GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) June 1, 2025 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. 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.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
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. 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. Simon Yates wins the Giro d'Italia 2025 🩷🏆 Simon Yates vince il Giro d'Italia 2025 🩷🏆 🎨 Alessio Giannone#GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) June 1, 2025 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. 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.
NBC Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kooij wins 12th stage of Giro d'Italia in sprint finish, Del Toro keeps overall lead
VIADANA, Italy — Dutch cyclist Olav Kooij won the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia in a sprint finish Thursday as Mexico's Isaac Del Toro slightly extended his overall lead in the pink jersey. Wout van Aert, the winner of Sunday's ninth stage, placed himself at the front as riders turned for home and led his Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Kooij into the final 200 meters. From there, Kooij then held off countryman Casper Van Uden and Britain's Ben Turner to secure the first Giro stage win of his career. 'I'd been waiting for this victory. In the previous two sprints, things didn't go as planned. But today, everything went smoothly and I'm really happy,' Kooij said. 'Only Wout can do such a long lead-out. I managed to jump onto Casper's wheel and then come around him.' They all finished in just under four hours. Del Toro picked up a two-second time bonus during an intermediate sprint section and leads by 33 seconds over Spaniard Juan Ayuso in second place and by 1 minute, 9 seconds from Italian Antonio Tiberi in third. The 21-year-old Del Toro became the first Mexican cyclist to lead the Giro when he finished second on Sunday. Thursday's stage started from Modena — home of the famed Basalmic vinegar and the sparkling red wine Lambrusco — and rolled through the countryside before finishing in Viadana in the Lombardy region. The slightly undulating 172-kilometer (107-mile) route was best suited to sprinters. In overcast and damp conditions a three-rider breakaway of Italians — Giosuè Epis, Andrea Pietrobon and Manuele Tarozzi — was caught about 37 kilometers from the end. Friday's slightly hilly 13th stage is 180 kilometers long, starting in Rovigo and finishing in Vicenza. The Giro ends in Rome on June 1. Primoz Roglic, the 2023 champion, is 1:26 behind Del Toro. The 35-year-old Roglic, a former ski jumper before turning to cycling, is aiming for a second Giro title and sixth Grand Tour title overall. The Slovenian has won the Spanish Vuelta a record-equaling four times. Roglic lost significant time after a crash and then a bike change on Sunday's tricky stage.
