“Just so incredibly sad” – Thijs Zonneveld reflects on Giro d’Italia finale, Gesink tribute, and cycling’s uncomfortable sponsors
Cycling
The 2025 Giro d’Italia concluded on Sunday in Rome, with
Simon Yates sealing a career defining victory and finally conquering the demons
of the Colle delle Finestre that had haunted him since 2018. But in the In
de Waaier podcast, Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld delivered a reflective
and at times scathing analysis of the final stage, the race as a whole, and
deeper issues within the sport.
The day began with a solemn moment: a minute’s silence in
memory of Daisy Gesink, the wife of veteran Dutch rider Robert Gesink, who
tragically passed away far too young.
"Everyone who experienced it was so shocked,"
Zonneveld said. "It is just so incredibly sad that someone so young dies.
I thought it was wonderful that Visma and the Giro dwelt on it so much, because
Gesink is of course one of the founders of the team. Without Gesink, the entire
team might not exist anymore. But it is just so incredibly sad."
Turning to the stage itself, Zonneveld admitted he found the
procession-style sprint finale underwhelming.
"I don't like a stage like that at all. Until the final
kilometres, where Visma did another fantastic lead-out and Kooij finished it
off really well. But what Affini did was the most impressive," he said,
praising the Italian for pulling nearly an entire kilometre in the closing
moments to launch Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij to the line.
However, the podcast took a more serious turn as Zonneveld
expressed strong views about team sponsorship in professional cycling,
particularly the presence of state backed teams from controversial nations.
"He finds it unacceptable that Israel is still the name
sponsor of a team," referring to Israel – Premier Tech. "It's actually
crazy that there is a team that is sponsored by a country that commits
genocide. I don't understand why this isn't being talked about. It's as if it
were a normal brand name, and that's not normal."
Zonneveld was brutal in his assessment of the Israel Premier Tech sponsor
He continued his criticism of the sport’s broader silence on
the issue:
"It's just so normal that riders ride around with all
kinds of names on their kit, that it's not even talked about," Zonneveld
added. "The same goes for the UAE, a country where human rights have been
violated for years, while they simply sponsor the best team in the world.
Cycling doesn't exactly excel in nice sponsors."
Zonneveld also offered a broader reflection on what makes
cycling unique, and unpredictable.
"Cycling is not a sport where the best always wins, and
that has been the case very often in recent years," he said. "But the
intrinsically interesting thing about cycling is that you don't have to be the
best to win. There are all kinds of ways to win races: it can be tactical and
it can be luck."
And while Simon Yates’ win was widely celebrated as a
redemptive moment, Zonneveld didn’t shy away from acknowledging the element of
fortune involved, "Let's be real, Yates was also just lucky. He was the
best GC man once. Once! And that was on the Finestre, the decisive stage. That
was to a very large extent thanks to the cooperation of Mr. Del Toro and Mr.
Carapaz."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- 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
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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