Giro.
Simon Yares said this was a career defining victory in the 2025 Giro D’Italia, after gaining the pink jersey on the same mountain and almost the same dramatic fashion he lost it in 2018.
Chris Froome’s 80km attack seven years ago, left Simon Yates in his wake, the Bury twin losing his race lead and so much time that he dropped to 17th, eventually finishing 21st, an hour and a quarter behind Froome.
He’d danced that race, winning three stages, with a number of top 5 finishes. It was said at the time that his attacking exploits had led to his downfall. All that energy spent to get into pink and extend his lead in pink, was gone even before Froome went on the rampage.
In 2025 things were different. He wasn’t really among the favourites, and for most of the race you didn’t see him, certainly not as you did in ’18. A few times with his nose in the wind, working for the likes of Wout van Aert. But most of the rest of the time if he ever found himself at the front he seemed desperate to get behind someone, always looking behind himself, at others. Looking like he just wanted to wheelsuck like one of his teammates.
But then he went on the 20th stage turning a minute 21 deficit into a nearly four minute lead, while the pink jersey, Isaac del Toro, and the other only real contender, 2019 winner Richard Carapaz, looked at each other and didn’t chase him down. As the time went out and out and out.
The Colle delle Finestre, it’s where he was defeated in ’18. It’s where he triumphed in ’25. 40km of riding away from history and into history.
A magnificent victory for an old man of the sport. Two old guys on the podium, with Del Toro the youngster, who for the most part had looked pretty good in pink. One great stage victory – a great celebration – and one just one real blip before Yates left him behind.
The other main winner was Mads Pedersen, the spring had seen a few podium finishes in the Classics, one top step, but he took the opening week of the Giro by storm. Powering to the the win on stage 1, he took pink, he almost kept it in the following day’s time trial, losing out by 1 second, to pre-race favourite Primoz Roglic. He regained pink with victory in the last stage in Albania. He held it until Roglic took it back on stage 7. With 4 stage wins and the maglia ciclamino, which he held all through the race.
And so Roglic, he took pink on stage 2, lost it on stage 3, retook it on stage 7 and lost it on stage 8. Dropped to 10th on stage 9 and left the race o stage 16. Yet again if there was crashes going Primoz was there. He does seem so very accident prone on the road.
There was also some great stages. Carlos Verona winning only his second professional race, at 32, after years working for others. Kasper Asgreen holding off the chasers with a gap that just stuck around the 15 second mark for kilometre after kilometre.
It had it all this Giro…