"I always had the thought to come back" - Simon Yates' patience was rewarded at the 2025 Giro d'Italia
Cycling
For three weeks, we barely heard his name. But Simon Yates knew exactly what he was doing and made his move at the most crucial moment of the Giro d'Italia to steal the spotlight along with overall victory on Colle delle Finestre. An emotional moment for the man who lost the Giro on the same climb seven years ago.
"It's a race that I've targeted for many many years and always come up short," Yates says in a commemorative video shared via the team YouTube channel. "So to finally pull it off, I was in disbelief. I can still feel the emotions and tears coming out. It was an unbelievable day."
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"I actually don't even know where to start," he sums up later on a teambus before last stage. "We had the idea you know that if the technical battle started between those two guys in front of me um that I could try and take advantage. And in the end that's how it happened. I had the legs to be there as well and of course how important it was for Wout [Van Aert] to be there in the front actually for the valley."
Thanks to the whole story around his victory, you couldn't think of a more perfect way to wrap this Giro, Yates knows that too. "I think it couldn't have been any more perfect actually. I cannot believe how smoothly the whole three weeks have gone. We never missed a beat. I've been in position all time, no crashes, no punctures. I didn't get sick. Just incredible three weeks."
Simon Yates celebrating with his teammates in Rome
To try and get revenge on the mythical col was always on Yates' mind, even if in the current era of aliens led by Tadej Pogacar, the opportunities have become scarce. "I always had the thought to come back and to try." And his patience was rewarded: "You never know until the moment came and I just really tried my best and managed to pull it off."
The 32-year-old could've only dreamt of such a day when he signed to Visma | Lease a Bike after having spent whole career with Jayco AlUla. "It was a big change for me after 11 years in the same team," he says at a team dinner on Sunday. "But I knew deep inside that I could do better and I needed a team that knew how to do it. I think right now is the pinnacle of my career actually. Thank you to every single one for making this possible."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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