"We all know how hard Colle delle Finestre is" - Carapaz refuses to give up on Giro dream

The Giro d'Italia 2025 will be decided this Saturday on the penultimate stage of the race, stage 20, with the Colle delle Finestre as the final judge. And wow, what a harsh judge it is. Now, it is a two horse race, between Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz, who both distanced Simon Yates today.

The EF Education-EasyPost rider attacked with 6 km to go, on the final climb, where only Del Toro, the maglia rosa, was able to respond to the move. After that, both crossed the finish line, with the Mexican taking 2nd and Carapaz 3rd (victory went to Nicolas Prodhomme).

As a result, Isaac del Toro will start stage 20 with an adavntage of 41 seconds ahead of the Ecuadorian, and 1:21 ahead of Yates.

Speaking just after the end of the stage, Richard Carapaz explained why he decided to be the one to attack when the entire group of favourites seemed to have made a truce. It is clear from his answer, that the brutal stage 20 is on his mind.

"I think we were all very weak, and I wanted to prove it. I think it was a good stage, I'm happy. We have moved away from Simon Yates in the overall, and we have arrived with Isaac del Toro to the finish. I'm happy about that," explained the Ecuadorian cyclist and EF leader.

As mentioned, the fear of the Colle delle Finestre was obvious among the favorites. Carapaz warned that tomorrow's stage is truly unpredictable, but he is ready for anything to try and win a second maglia rosa.

"Tomorrow will be a different day for sure. With a longer and more serious port, the situation will change completely to what it was today. We all know how hard Colle delle Finestre is, and that's why there's still a lot left," concluded a Richard Carapaz who will be looking for his second Corsa Rosa tomorrow.