“He couldn’t hold back the emotion” – Giro legend Francesco Moser heaps praise on 2025 winner Simon Yates

On the final day of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, Italian cycling legend Francesco Moser, winner of the race in 1984, shared his thoughts on the dramatic penultimate stage and the riders who shaped this year’s edition. Speaking ahead of Stage 21 in Rome, the 73-year-old offered praise for Simon Yates, insight into the tactical mistakes, and encouragement for young Italian hopefuls.

Reflecting on Yates’ triumph atop the Colle delle Finestre, the same climb where he lost the maglia rosa in 2018, Moser acknowledged the emotional significance of the moment to Bici Sport.

“It had already happened in 2018 that the blow came there, and it hit Simon himself,” Moser recalled. “Yesterday he took his revenge. I saw when he arrived that he couldn’t hold back the emotion.”

Moser remembered how dominant Yates had been in that earlier Giro, only to lose everything in the final mountain days. “He had kept the jersey and had gone strong that Giro,” Moser said. “But that day gave him a real blow.”

He also recalled the 2018 stage finish in Bardonecchia, where Chris Froome launched his historic long-range attack. “I remember arriving there and seeing all the Ineos, well, Sky at the time, team cars. I wondered, ‘What are they doing here?’ Later, I understood why. They had prepared everything in advance.”

When asked about the dramatic tactics between Richard Carapaz and Isaac Del Toro on Stage 20, Moser didn’t shy away from pointing out mistakes.

“They should’ve sent a man in the breakaway like Van Aert, who was decisive in the stage,” he said. “But they also needed teammates with them and just didn’t manage it. I think they didn’t have the strength. You saw that not even on the descent did they try to chase.”

Tensions between the two rivals were visible in the final stages, with each criticising the other’s tactics. Moser said, “There were even skirmishes between the two. Carapaz said Del Toro raced badly. Del Toro said, ‘Everyone can think what they want.’ Me? I got distracted and didn’t understand much of what was going on anymore.”

As a whole, though, Moser enjoyed the 2025 edition. “It was a good Giro,” he said. “I was supporting Del Toro, he’s young, and it wouldn’t have been bad if he had won. But he spent a lot of energy defending the jersey all those days. That’s how it went. He still has a lot of time to make up for it.”

Moser also praised Giulio Pellizzari, who impressed in the final week after being freed from domestique duties.

“In the end, sixth place overall, that’s a good Giro,” Moser said. “In the final week, once he was no longer helping Roglic, he did well. He lost some time earlier by waiting for Roglic, which affected things, and then there was that crash near the finish, not decisive, but still.”

“He’s a climber, and in the Giro there are too many climbs. You have to be a climber.”