Britain's Yates wins Giro d'Italia after decisive mountain attack, secures first title on sixth attempt
ROME, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Simon Yates of Britain claimed his first overall victory in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday, wrapping up the 108th edition of the three-week race in Rome after seizing the leader's pink jersey with a bold mountain attack in the penultimate stage.
The 31-year-old became the third British cyclist to win the Giro, completing the 3,443-kilometer route in 82 hours, 31 minutes and one second - finishing three minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Mexico's Isaac Del Toro. Ecuador's Richard Carapaz placed third, with Canada's Derek Gee and Italy's Damiano Caruso rounding out the top five.
Yates entered Saturday's mountainous 20th stage in third overall, trailing Del Toro by one minute and 21 seconds. He launched a decisive move on the second-to-last climb, gaining nearly four minutes on his rival to take control of the general classification.
"This is the defining moment of my career," Yates said post-race. "I've had some great results, but nothing compares to this. It's been an amazing three weeks."
It marked Yates' second Grand Tour victory, following his 2018 Vuelta a Espana win. That same year, he wore the pink jersey for 13 stages at the Giro before being overtaken by compatriot Chris Froome.
Yates, who last raced the Giro in 2021 and finished third, returned this year after a two-year absence, during which Slovenian riders Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar dominated in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
With this win, Yates joins Froome and Tao Geoghegan Hart as the only Britons to have captured the Giro title. He also becomes just the second British cyclist to win multiple Grand Tours.
Del Toro, 21, claimed the best young rider classification. Denmark's Mads Pedersen secured the points jersey, while Italy's Lorenzo Fortunato was crowned best climber. The race's top eight riders represented eight different teams.
The next Grand Tour, the Tour de France, will take place from July 5 to 27.
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