"I couldn’t hold back the tears" - Simon Yates on Giro-winning move on none other than the Colle delle Finestre
Cycling
Simon Yates dominated the Giro d'Italia back in 2018 until the race arrived at the Colle delle Finestre, where he completely exploded and fell out of the GC fight in a matter of minutes. In 2025, seven years later, the Briton used this climbing to race into a shocking debut victory at the Corsa Rosa.
It is a story that very few others can ever match in this sport, and Yates - who has returned to the Giro year after year - often struggled with the pressure of being the leader and being in a team where he could not often match the collective of rival teams.
In 2025 he came into the Giro very far from top favourite, and was ranked amongst the many outsiders after a spring affected by injuries. He rode the almost perfect race, riding strong in the time-trials, avoiding crashes and illnesses, and keeping himself well positioned whilst the likes of Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso and Isaac del Toro had all the spotlight.
Even in the final week, it seemed as if it was all about Richard Carapaz' pursuit of the pink jersey, and in reality Yates lost time to the duo on both stages 17 and 19, which made the goal of winning the Giro a rather distant one this Saturday morning.
"Once the route was released I always had in the back of my mind that I could come here and close a chapter, maybe not to take the jersey and the race, but at least a stage, show myself the way I know I can do," Yates said in an interview with TNT Sports. "To pull it off, I really didn’t believe. I have to thank the guys in my team because they really believed in me, even during the stage".
Yates bridged across to the duo who accelerated harshly right from the base of the Colle delle Finestre, and after a few attacks he managed to create a gap to them. Although there was tactical play behind, in a climb as difficult as this it's all about the legs, and Yates moved into the provisional lead of the race whilst still climbing on the gravel roads.
Read also
What followed was a magical moment for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, which combined Wout van Aert's presence in the breakaway with the absence of domestiques for Del Toro and Carapz who would then clash on the descent and not collaborate with each other. Yates got away with several minutes of lead, and the Giro d'Italia's provisional victory. "200 meters to go, I was on the radio asking for the time gap, because I never truly believed until the very last moment, I’m speechless really."
It is the closing of a circle for the 32-year old, who will in Rome tomorrow confirm what will be the most important victory of his career to date. "It’s still sinking in. I’m not an emotional person, but I couldn’t hold back the tears. This is something I’ve worked towards throughout my career, year after year. There have been a lot of setbacks, so yeah, finally managed to pull it off."
Read also
🇬🇧 YATES AIRLINES HAS TAKEN OFF!
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 31, 2025
Both Carapaz and Del Toro can't follow the Brit 🥵#Giroditalia pic.twitter.com/t2uSWa8Gyq
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 14visitors 14
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments