'Today is my day' - Simon Yates triumphantly closes Giro d'Italia chapter seven years after Finestre heartbreak

Simon Yates said that when the Giro d’Italia route was announced, he “had the idea to come back and close the chapter.” That’s exactly what the Visma | Lease a Bike rider did as he pulled off the ultimate coup to snatch the pink jersey from Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on a dramatic stage 20 with a performance that will be remembered for years to come.

Seven years ago, Yates suffered heartbreak on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre while wearing the pink jersey. The Briton himself confessed that the idea of winning the Giro on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre was “a bit of a fairy tale.” But on Saturday, Yates accomplished this incredible feat and closed that chapter, delivering one of the best performances of his life. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider smashed the record on the monstrous Colle delle Finestre after distancing Del Toro and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) on the lower slopes and never looked back.

It was a perfect climb from the Briton, while behind, Del Toro and Carapaz looked to be playing a game of bluff, which played into the Visma | Lease a Bike rider’s hands up front. By the top of the Finestre, Yates was the virtual race leader by around 20 seconds, with the race set for a tense finale in the valley and on the final climb of the Giro to Sestriere.

The stage was also a reminder of how much cycling is a team sport, as Wout van Aert delivered a crucial assist to Simon Yates in the descent and valley after the Colle delle Finestre, with the Belgian star having been placed in the breakaway as a satellite rider. Once the breakaway was established and had a big gap, Van Aert said: “I knew I had a small chance to make it over the Finestre.” His effort was crucial in helping Yates’s gap grow as Van Aert was able to pace the British climber on the descent and in the valley after the Colle delle Finestre.

It became very clear in the valley where the pink jersey was heading as Van Aert buried himself for his GC leader, while behind, Del Toro was isolated and looked to have accepted his fate. In the end, it wasn’t even remotely close as Yates romped his way over the finish line in Sestriere to place third on the stage and take the pink jersey convincingly. Meanwhile, the GC group came in a whopping 5:13 behind the Lancashire man. 

Only the previous day, Yates had expressed a degree of frustration with his Visma | Lease a Bike team’s display on stage 19. Yates acknowledged the importance of Van Aert after the race, saying: “It’s not the first time he has shown himself to be the ultimate teammate.”

After seeing Yates and Visma | Lease a Bike pull off the ultimate coup to win the Giro , it’s easy to glance over the impressive performance out front from Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla), who won stage 20 in Sestriere. The Australian climber was head and shoulders above everyone else who made it into the massive breakaway, and went solo on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre.

Harper was emotional as he crossed the finish line to claim the fourth win of his career and the most important too. For a rider who has spent the majority of his career working in the service of others, including for Yates when they were teammates, Harper deserved his moment of glory. 

With one stage remaining, which is set to be a sprint finish in Rome, Yates leads the Giro 3:56 over Del Toro, while Richard Carapaz is 4:43 back in third.