Simon Yates all but wins Giro d'Italia as Chris Harper triumphs on stage 20

Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) is just nine short laps on a final-day circuit in Rome away from winning the Giro d’Italia after a hugely dramatic stage over the Colle de Finestre to Sestriere. The Briton finished more than five minutes ahead of GC rivals Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) after dropping the pair on the Finestre to take the overall lead with the parade stage in Italy's capital remaining.

Having opened up a lead of 90 seconds on his two rivals at the summit of the Finestre Yates joined up with teammate Wout van Aert on the descent from the pass. After Van Aert had given everything until the two Visma riders were halfway up the climb to the finish at Sestriere, Yates went solo again with 7km remaining and crossed the line knowing that the maglia rosa was his.

The stage victory went to Chris Harper (Team Jayco AlUla), who was part of a 31-rider breakaway that formed early in the stage. The Australian went clear with Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) on the lower slopes of the Finestre, then went solo to take his first Grand Tour success. Verre finished second, just ahead of a visibly emotional Yates.

“I had an idea today to try something and I managed to pull it off,” said the Giro’s new race leader. Asked what his first thought was when he crossed the line, Yates said: “Disbelief. I couldn’t believe that I’d managed to pull it off. It’s something that I’ve worked towards for many, many years and come up short.”

Yates confessed that he’d wanted to show his qualities on this Finestre stage after losing the pink jersey in the final days of the 2018 race on the same pass. “When the parcours was announced, I had the idea to come back and maybe close that chapter,” said the Briton.

As for Harper, he admitted he'd gone into the stage thinking the GC riders would dominate. "I got away with a good group and then rode my pace up the Finestre and got away solo. Then it was just a case of managing the effort and hoping that I could hold on," said the stage winner.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The break came together in three parts. Right from the off, seven riders went clear: Decathlon’s Dries De Bondt, Groupama’s Enzo Paleni, Ineos Grenadier Kim Heiduk, Lidl-Trek’s Jacopo Mosca, Alpecin’s Timo Kielich, Sylvain Moniquet of Cofidis and Gianmarco Garofoli of Soudal Quick-Step.

They were quickly joined by a six-strong group comprising Mosca’s teammates Mads Pedersen and Carlos Verona, Garofoli’s teammate Ethan Hayter, Intermarché’s Francesco Bussato, Movistar’s Jon Barrenetxea and VF Group’s Manuele Tarozzi. A third and much bigger group of 18 riders then bridged up, featuring the likes of Harper and Van Aert.

The break’s lead stretched to almost nine minutes as first UAE Team Emirates and then EF Education set the pace in the peloton. The gap was trimmed backed to less than eight minutes climbing the second-category Colle del Lys. However, the most significant moment there came on the descent, when EF’s Owain Doull misjudged a right-hand bend and went straight on, with most of his teammates following him, including Carapaz. Thankfully, all escaped unscathed.    

The break benefited from the peloton's loss of momentum triggered by that incident, pushing its lead out to more than 10 minutes as it reached the first ramps of the Colle de Finestre. As they began to climb, Pedersen set a hard tempo, shredding the front group in order to set up Verona. Ultimately, though, Harper and Verre went clear, the Italian doggedly tracking the Australian.

When the bunch reached the same point, EF Education set a fierce pace, their riders peeling away one after another until only Georg Steinhauser remained in front of Carapaz. The German then gave all he had before Carapaz swept by.

For a few moments, the Ecuadorean was alone. Gradually, though, Del Toro closed the gap, then sat sentinel on Carapaz’s wheel, the two of them immersed in their personal duel until Yates glided up to join them.

The 13.5km remained to the summit of the Finestre were totally gripping. To start with, Yates and Carapaz took it in turns to attack Del Toro, the Briton finally going clear on his fourth sortie.  

Initially, Carapaz had chased Yates down, but he was then ordered to stop doing so and the two Latin Americans began playing mind games. Carapaz slowed to little more than walking pace, Del Toro sitting on him, while fourth-placed Derek Gee briefly passed them as they dawdled.

Yates led his two rivals by almost a minute going onto the fabled 8km gravel section towards the top of the Finestre. Meanwhile, a couple of kilometres further up the climb, Harper’s pace finally saw off Verre, the Australian topping the Finestre 90 seconds clear of the Italian.

When Yates became the race leader on the road, Del Toro got the order to chase, Carapaz contributing too, the pair reaching the top of the Finestre 1-36 after the Briton. Soon after, though, Visma’s tactic of placing Van Aert in the break paid off as Yates bridged up to him and the Belgian powerhouse went to work.

As Del Toro and Carapaz began to dally again, Van Aert gave everything to increase the lead that Yates had already carved out. When the Dutchman finally pulled aside with 7km left, the Briton pressed on alone, now more than four minutes clear of his pursuers. Even after reinforcements finally arrived for Del Toro in the shape of teammates Rafa Majka and Brandon McNulty, Yates’s advantage kept growing.

Undone by Froome and fatigue on the Finestre in 2018, he crossed the line with head bowed in disbelief. Redemption had been found and the Giro all but won.

RESULTS GIRO D’ITALIA STAGE 2025, STAGE 20: VERRÈS > SESTRIERE (205KM)

1. Chris Harper (Aus) Team Jayco-AlUla, in 5:27:29
2. Alessandro Verre (Ita) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, +1:49
3. Simon Yates (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, +1:57
4. Gianmarco Garofoli (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step, +3:52
5. Rémy Rochas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ,+3:57
6. Martin Marcellusi (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani, +4:31
7. Carlos Verona (Spa) Lidl-Trek, at same time
8. Max Poole (GBr) Team Picnic PostNL, +6:45
9. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +7:10
10. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 20

1. Simon Yates (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 79:18:42
2. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +3:56
3. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +4:43
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech, +6:23
5. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious +7:32
6. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +9:28
7. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, +12:42
8. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar, +13:05
9. Brandon McNulty (Usa) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +13:36
10. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Pro Cycling, +14:27