Winner's circle: Chris Harper wins Finestre stage as Simon Yates seizes control of the Giro
An extraordinary final mountain stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia culminated in a marvellous stage victory for 30-year-old Australian Chris Harper (Jayco-AlUla), as the GC competition erupted on the lower slopes of the infamous Colle delle Finestre. On the same mountain that staged his collapse seven years ago, Simon Yates went from third to virtual leader by the summit as Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz got caught in a game of chicken behind him, and with Wout van Aert's help in the valley that followed, the Brit's lead grew to almost four minutes by the finish in Sestriere – read the race report here at Escape Collective.
Away from the Giro, the pro men have also been racing in France and Norway, with Aaron Gate taking stage 2, and more UCI points for XDS-Astana, at the Boucles de la Mayenne, and at the Tour of Norway, Maxim van Gils finally got the better of Matthew Brennan on stage 3, though the young Visma rider retains the lead.
Also in Norway, Justine Ghekiere took stage 1 victory at the Tour of Norway Women, just ahead of young Scottish rider Lauren Dickson, with Sarah Gigante making it a one-three for AG Insurance-Soudal in her first race back since her Aussie summer was derailed by diagnosis and surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis.
