"Insane that the man who’s ended up winning the Giro was never the strongest rider" - Simon Yates a lucky Maglia Rosa according to Michael Rasmussen
Cycling
On an incredibly dramatic stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, Simon Yates turned the whole race in its head with a stunning long range raid, securing the Maglia Rosa and a second career Grand Tour victory in the process. According to Danish ex-pro turned expert Michael Rasmussen however, the Brit's victory owes a little to luck.
“It’s absolutely insane that the man who’s ended up winning the Giro was never the strongest rider at any point in the race," analyses Rasmussen for Viaplay, taking the view that, rather than Yates winning the Giro on stage 20, Isaacs del Toro and Richard Carapaz gifted the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader the overall victory.
Rather than look towards any brilliance from Yates or Visma, Rasmussen believes it's poignant to analyse the failings of UAE Team Emirates - XRG and EF Education-EasyPost. "He wins because two teams that had ridden better overall made huge tactical blunders on the most important day,” claims the Dane.
Whilst the stalemate between Del Toro and Carapaz when Yates attacked on the Finestre was a very notable moment of this tactical uncertainty, Rasmussen believes the more telling issue came in the form of UAE and EF allowing Wout van Aert to get into the early breakaway without having satellite riders of their own up the road.
"An enormously stupid move," Rasmussen assesses harshly. “It’s as if UAE have been affected by the fact that they have the best cycling team in the world – and Tadej Pogacar. They’re used to turning up, going to the front, and letting the best rider in the world crush everyone when it counts.”
“It’s the team’s responsibility, for goodness’ sake. They must have made a plan. ‘You have to mark these two riders.’ A gap of 1:20 is nothing on a climb like the Colle delle Finestre,” concludes Rasmussen, adding that it was “incredibly bloody stupid” of Del Toro not to mark Yates.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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