For Yates, it was a scar that lingered, a moment replayed
endlessly whenever the Giro returned to Italy’s unforgiving mountains. In 2025,
that ghost was finally exorcised. And what a way to do it!
“This is a legend that has been seven years in the making.
The ghosts of 2018 have been laid to rest,”
said Orla Chennaoui on TNT
Sports, capturing the emotional weight of a ride that was about so much
more than minutes and seconds.
As the peloton snaked up the Finestre once more, the script
flipped. Yates, now 32, wasn’t just part of the story, he was the story. From
being the hunted to the hunter, from the heartbroken to the hero, the narrative
completed its full arc in beautiful fashion.
Co-commentator Matt Stephens couldn’t hide the emotion: “I’m
getting a bit choked up thinking about it because we love this sport and we
know what it takes. That performance was fuelled by the memories of a
capitulation that he’s constantly reminded of. The race fell perfectly for him
but he had to ride the race of his life, on some of the most unrelenting yet
beautiful terrain. That’s the ride of his career, that might define his entire
career.”
Yates had spent the past few years in the shadows of stars
like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel. His Grand Tour
pedigree was often discussed in past tense, “remember the 2018 Giro,” “he once
won the Vuelta.” But on this final mountain test, when it mattered most, he
found the legs, the belief, and the support to make the impossible happen.
“He’s just won the Giro d’Italia, he’s also won the Vuelta
[a España]. How many riders have won two Grand Tours? A magnificent win for
him, for the team and for cycling,” Stephens added.
Behind the result was a tactical masterclass. While rivals
Richard Carapaz and Isaac Del Toro marked each other, Yates surged. With Wout
van Aert having softened up the race from the breakaway and the
Team Visma |
Lease a Bike team executing flawlessly, the moment was there for the taking, and
Yates seized it.
“Winner, winner, roast beef dinner,” said Robbie McEwen,
summing it up with a grin. “Wow. We talked about it in hushed tones, ‘imagine
if the script was flipped?’ From now on, we will talk about doing a Yates. It’s
not luck, it’s good management, good teamwork, everything coming together on
the day, and self-belief as well.”
Indeed, the term “doing a Yates” may soon enter cycling
folklore. And what a turnaround that is!
“They will now call it doing a Yates,” Rob Hatch echoed
during the live broadcast, and he is not wrong. “Redemption like we’ve never
seen it. Not even the best Hollywood scriptwriters would have put this
together. It is sensational. Remember where you were.”
And we will. Because stage 20 of the Giro d’Italia 2025, is
one of the very best moments the sport we love has produced.