"I hope today goes better than that time" - Simon Yates on Finestre vengeance and stage 19 controversy

Simon Yates enters the final stage of this year's Giro d'Italia in third place. The last time he raced up the Colle delle Finestre he lost the pink jersey in it's brutal slopes, and today present the perfect opportunity for vengeance.

However beforehand, he was asked about his words the day before. “The plan was completely different from what we did today, so I will talk about that with the team. I will not say anything more about that," he said following the conclusion of the 19th day of racing at the Corsa Roosa.

But he explained the why of having said that now: “My statements? Typical of me, after a very hard day of racing, to have a brazen exit and perhaps a little too direct – But we talked about it later with the team, as we always do, and we will try to improve”.

With the lead of Isaac del Toro less than minute and a half away, it is not impossible to think of the overall victory still, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is most likely first making sure he keeps a very reputable podium spot. “I hope it will really be a suitable climb for me, given that the last time it didn’t go very well… Let’s see what happens," he adds.

"Carapaz and Del Toro were very strong throughout the Giro and are probably a step above me. It will be difficult, until the last kilometers we won’t really know how we are. If I see an opportunity, I will try to seize it, but at the same time I want to defend my current position in the standings”.

“I hope today goes better than that time. It’s been a while now and I’ve absorbed it. I hope I have good legs and we’ll see what I can do. I expect EF Education-EasyPost to try something, because I think Carapaz wants more than second place, but I don’t have any particular ideas on what scenarios could happen," he concluded.