The Colle delle Finestre has been a dark mark on, or just over, the horizon since the very start of the Giro d'Italia three weeks ago, and on stage 20, the infamous mountain lived up to all the hype and buildup to define the outcome of the race.
With Chris Harper (Jayco-AlUla) taking a wonderful solo victory from the breakaway, it was Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) who lit up the GC race on the lower half of the Finestre, calmly weathering the earlier attack of Richard Carapaz whose EF Education-EasyPost team had made their intent known throughout the stage, and the third week, the Ecuadorian himself followed, as expected, by Isaac Del Toro.
Third at the start of the day, Yates had finally left Del Toro and Carapaz behind about 40 km from the finish, leaving the pair of them to a high-stakes game of chicken as the tarmac gave way to gravel higher up the climb, and by the top of the Finestre, the climb where Yates lost the 2018 Giro, the Briton was in the virtual lead.
Waiting for Yates on the descent was luxury teammate Wout van Aert, who helped hugely as they entered the valley and up the earlier false flat portion of the finishing climb to Sestriere. As behind, Del Toro et al gained teammates but endured a miserable final few kilometres of limping home. With Harper taking the stage, and Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) just hanging on for second, Yates drooped third across the line, and barely had to wait for confirmation before crumpling in relief. It was five minutes and 13 seconds before Isaac Del Toro sprinted to the line, putting Yates into pink with an advantage of three minutes 56 seconds.
[race_result id=13 stage_id=86459 count=10 gc=0 year=2025]
[race_result id=13 stage_id=86459 count=10 gc=10 year=2025]
Yates's disbelief as he rode in towards the finish line.
Quotes of the day
I think when the route of the parcours was released, I always had in the back of my mind to try and do something here and close the chapter, let's say. I'm just still a bit speechless that I was able to do it."
– Simon Yates said, visibly emotional, in his box-fresh pink jersey at the finish.
Yates took over the race lead from Isaac Del Toro, who dropped to second overall, but still paid a visit to the podium as leader of the youth classification.
Before we reached the finish, I congratulated Wout [van Aert]. I knew then that I had lost the classification. They played Yates' cards well. We couldn't do anything at the end. I played it defensively against Simon and Richard [Carapaz] at first. I wanted to put the pressure on Richard to follow Simon, because he was third. But in the end, the team came back. It was too late, because nobody wanted to help us."
He went on to describe his feelings about losing the race, despite exceeding expectations.
You lose the classification, but at the same time I am also very happy. Because at the beginning of the Giro, in Albania, not many people expected me to be here. I have proven myself. The team has had a lot of confidence in me. The problem is me, I try … I have lost, so I feel super disappointed. But I don't want to cry in front of the camera. My teammates deserved more than one victory – that's why I always sprint."
Stage winner, Chris Harper, was delighted for two reasons as he dismounted his bike in Sestriere, paying tribute to his former teammate who'd ascended into pink.
I don't know what I'm happier about, winning the stage myself or seeing Simon win the Giro. He's a great guy, and I've had the pleasure of riding with him for a few seasons. We've raced a lot together, and I don't think anyone deserves it more than he does."
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