Simon Yates took charge of the Giro d’Italia on its penultimate day. In the grueling 20th stage, the 32-year-old Brit left his rivals behind on the legendary Colle delle Finestre. Thanks to the impressive support of Wout van Aert, Yates managed to erase his deficit in the general classification and turn it to his advantage. Tomorrow, he will ride into Rome in the pink jersey. “I can’t believe it.”
“I felt amazing today,” Yates said afterward. “I hadn’t really shown what I was capable of in this Giro yet, but today everything clicked. When the route was announced last winter, I immediately had this stage marked. I had some unfinished business here. I wanted to show what I was worth, no matter the result.”
“This makes up for a lot,” he added. “There have been plenty of setbacks leading up to this. Every season I keep giving everything I have. Winning the Giro would be a great reward for all the hard work over the past few years. I also need to thank my teammates. In the tough moments of the past three weeks, they always stood by me. This one’s for them.”
Yates started the day with a deficit of nearly one and a half minutes to GC leader Isaac Del Toro. The iconic Colle delle Finestre proved to be the decisive climb of the day. It was on this very ascent that Yates saw his hopes of winning the Giro evaporate in 2018. Today, he was determined to set the record straight.
After the start in Verrès, a large breakaway – including Van Aert – established a solid lead. With just over 40 kilometers to go, the breakaway reached the foot of the Finestre. Van Aert wisely settled into his own rhythm. Meanwhile, the GC contenders began their battle on the steep slopes.
Del Toro and his closest challenger Richard Carapaz were glued to each other’s wheels. Then came Yates’s decisive move. With a well-timed attack, the Brit quickly opened up a gap of around 40 seconds. He steadily increased his lead as the climb wore on. Near the summit, he had nearly two minutes on his rivals, which was enough to take the pink jersey.
On the descent, Yates rejoined teammate Van Aert, who had dropped back from the break. The Belgian put in a tremendous effort to guide his leader toward the final climb to Sestrière. Yates’s virtual lead in the general classification continued to grow. He crossed the line in third place, while Del Toro’s group arrived more than five minutes later. With that, Yates jumped to the top of the GC. Tomorrow, he will start the final stage to Rome in the Maglia Rosa.
Sports director Marc Reef was full of praise for the team’s performance: “Of course we were secretly hoping for this scenario, but we never expected it to play out this perfectly. Carapaz and Del Toro were watching each other, and Simon attacked at exactly the right moment. The plan we laid out was executed down to the finest detail. Wout’s work was also instrumental today. This is a fantastic result for the team. Simon has ridden a smart race, and today he showed just how strong he really is.”
