5 minutes faster than 2018 Chris Froome! Simon Yates is the first rider to climb Colle delle Finestre in under 1 hour

Simon Yates is the first rider in cycling's history to ride up the Colle delle Finestre in under one hour in a racing scenario. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike put in the performance of his life to conquer the Giro d'Italia on the final opportunity, and did so on the climb that has shattered his dreams seven years ago exactly.

The climb was first used in the Corsa Rosa back in 2005 and ever since, it's been a popular ascent in the race, being part of the route every few years. In 2018 Chris Froome used the climb for the same purpose, taking a victory later on with minutes of lead that would earn him the Giro win. However when he did so, he was still over two minutes away from the record held by José Rujano.

Last year at the Tour de l'Avenir, 18-year old Pablo Torres did the unthinkable, beating the record on the climb by over a minute, despite his incredibly young age. The now UAE Team Emirates - XRG would only hold it for a few months however, as for the first time in history, someone has climbed the 19-kilometer long ascent in under one hour: Simon Yates.

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider went up it in 59:29 minutes, without team support either as the peloton exploded at the very base of the climb due to EF Education-EasyPost's attack. This was almost a whole 5 minutes faster than Chris Froome climbed it the last time the Giro visited the Finestre and Yates completely exploded in the pink jersey.

According to CyclingGraphs, who provides rather accurate estimates on the power outputs of riders, Yates would have averaged around 6.2W/Kg for the 59 minutes of climbing. This once-in-a-lifetime ride was the main factor behind Yates' pink jersey which he will be wearing today in Rome.