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
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