Yates seizes power and claims pink jersey in penultimate Giro stage
“I felt amazing today,” Yates said afterward. “I hadn’t really shown what I was capable of in this Giro yet, but today everything clicked. When the route was announced last winter, I immediately had this stage marked. I had some unfinished business here. I wanted to show what I was worth, no matter the result.”
“This makes up for a lot,” he added. “There have been plenty of setbacks leading up to this. Every season I keep giving everything I have. Winning the Giro would be a great reward for all the hard work over the past few years. I also need to thank my teammates. In the tough moments of the past three weeks, they always stood by me. This one’s for them.”
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Yates started the day with a deficit of nearly one and a half minutes to GC leader Isaac Del Toro. The iconic Colle delle Finestre proved to be the decisive climb of the day. It was on this very ascent that Yates saw his hopes of winning the Giro evaporate in 2018. Today, he was determined to set the record straight.
After the start in Verrès, a large breakaway – including Van Aert – established a solid lead. With just over 40 kilometers to go, the breakaway reached the foot of the Finestre. Van Aert wisely settled into his own rhythm. Meanwhile, the GC contenders began their battle on the steep slopes.
Del Toro and his closest challenger Richard Carapaz were glued to each other’s wheels. Then came Yates’s decisive move. With a well-timed attack, the Brit quickly opened up a gap of around 40 seconds. He steadily increased his lead as the climb wore on. Near the summit, he had nearly two minutes on his rivals, which was enough to take the pink jersey.
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On the descent, Yates rejoined teammate Van Aert, who had dropped back from the break. The Belgian put in a tremendous effort to guide his leader toward the final climb to Sestrière. Yates’s virtual lead in the general classification continued to grow. He crossed the line in third place, while Del Toro’s group arrived more than five minutes later. With that, Yates jumped to the top of the GC. Tomorrow, he will start the final stage to Rome in the Maglia Rosa.
Sports director Marc Reef was full of praise for the team’s performance: “Of course we were secretly hoping for this scenario, but we never expected it to play out this perfectly. Carapaz and Del Toro were watching each other, and Simon attacked at exactly the right moment. The plan we laid out was executed down to the finest detail. Wout’s work was also instrumental today. This is a fantastic result for the team. Simon has ridden a smart race, and today he showed just how strong he really is.”
🇮🇹 #GirodItaliaHistory is being written. ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/NjAyVAfSYw— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) May 31, 2025
Giro d’Italia
Stage 20
Result
Rankings
Result
1
Chris Harper
Team Jayco AlUla
05:27:29
2
Alessandro Verre
Arkéa – B&B Hotels
+00:01:49
3
Simon Yates
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:57
15
Wout van Aert
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:08:02
41
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:19:39
59
Bart Lemmen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:27:13
60
Wilco Kelderman
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:27:13
110
Dylan van Baarle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:38:41
126
Edoardo Affini
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:41:08
158
Olav Kooij
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:44:55
Rankings
1
Simon Yates
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
79:18:42
2
Isaac del Toro
UAE Team Emirates – XRG
+00:03:56
3
Richard Carapaz
EF Education – EasyPost
+00:04:43
36
Wilco Kelderman
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+02:00:11
38
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+02:04:24
42
Bart Lemmen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+02:19:58
72
Wout van Aert
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+03:16:27
95
Dylan van Baarle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+04:06:25
133
Edoardo Affini
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+05:29:17
149
Olav Kooij
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+05:45:47
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Subjects
Cycling – World Tour men
Simon Yates
Marc Reef
1
Giro d’Italia
