“Yates was the most sober” – Cyrille Guimard dissects Giro and previews Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel’s Dauphine showdown
Cycling
Simon Yates’s stunning victory at the 2025 Giro d’Italia
continues to generate conversation across the cycling world. But few offer
analysis as nuanced, or as cutting, as Cyrille Guimard, the former sporting
director, commentator, and one of the most experienced minds in the sport.
Speaking to Cyclism’Actu, Guimard provided a wide ranging debrief on a
race that began with hype around youth and ended with a veteran riding the
smartest race of his life.
So what did the expert really think?
At the heart of Guimard’s analysis between the emotional
hype surrounding young talents like Isaac Del Toro and the old school strategic
maturity shown by Yates and his team, Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
“The one who was the most sober throughout this Giro was
Yates,” Guimard noted. “He only moved twice throughout the entire Giro, he was
almost forgotten as a real opponent for the win.”
That quiet patience turned out to be Yates’s greatest
strength. As Del Toro and Richard Carapaz engaged in a tactical chess match, one
that increasingly looked like a standoff rather than a fight, Yates waited,
conserved energy, and struck precisely when it mattered most: on the Colle
delle Finestre, with Wout van Aert waiting ahead.
Guimard doesn’t absolve Del Toro and Carapaz of
responsibility for the result. On the contrary, he sees clear strategic
failure.
Did Carapaz and del Toro throw the race away?
“When Yates went out, one, he had the legs, and behind him,
who made the effort? Carapaz or Del Toro? Logically, it’s Del Toro who has to
do it, because he’s the one with the jersey. If Del Toro holds back, it’s
because he doesn’t have the legs to go after it.”
That moment, when neither rider responded, when they
hesitated and fell into a game of chicken, was the defining collapse of the
Giro. In that hesitation, Yates did not just attack with a short burst, he
vanished. By the time the chasers realised the danger, van Aert had begun his
hour-long career-best pull, and the pink jersey was gone.
Guimard also suggests that this strategic passivity was a
symptom of broader pressure, particularly on the young UAE team of Del Toro and
Ayuso.
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“There was such excitement around the youngsters that they
perhaps had a little trouble handling the pressure, as well as the strategic
aspect,” he observed. “There was a moment when Ayuso and Del Toro were, whether
we say it or not, in opposition... That’s not what was planned at the start.
The emotional burden and the pressure on these two riders... in my opinion it
cost dearly.”
Del Toro in particular, he believes, may have been trying to
emulate the all-conquering Tadej Pogacar, a comparison frequently made during
the Giro.
“Yes, so Pogacar, because of his performances, but
especially the way he goes after his victories, by obligation, there is a
desire to mimic,” Guimard said. “More and more, we see riders attacking far
from the finish, taking risks, and sometimes it works... But if he loses, in my
opinion, that’s not it.”
The implication here is subtle but important. Pogacar’s
style may be thrilling and successful, but copying it without the same physical
supremacy is a strategic trap, one that Del Toro fell into. After all, Pog is
truly one of a kind…
And yet, Guimard’s tone is not cynical. There is admiration
for Del Toro’s ambition, for his willingness to try, and even for the
unpredictability that the Giro continues to provide.
“The Giro is an event where there are many more
breakaways... stages that are more interesting than what we can have in the
Tour de France, which is still a little too locked down,” he said. “There,
there is movement and it’s interesting to follow.”
Pedersen was the highlight of week 1 of the Giro
But alongside that praise, Guimard poses a larger question
about the structure of modern racing. Referring to Mads Pedersen’s dominance in
the points classification, he wonders what these “secondary classifications”
really contribute to the competition.
“Do these secondary classifications... correspond to
something that can be used for something in the course of the race? I have the
impression that we should perhaps think about the model of these secondary
classifications in the future.”
Pedersen’s brilliance in the sprints was undeniable, but
Guimard’s point is that this kind of parallel competition, while rewarding
consistency, may be drifting from the heart of the racing narrative. If a rider
like Yates, who didn’t win a stage, can win the Giro, and a rider like
Pedersen, who dominated multiple days, still finishes with limited impact on
the overall picture, perhaps there’s a structural question worth asking.
He’s not alone in raising this. But was it still not amazing
to see Pedersen at his very best, especially in week 1?
Still, if there was one figure who transcended both
structure and narrative, it was Wout van Aert. Guimard gives the Belgian full
credit for the pivotal role he played on the Finestre.
“Who thinks that Van Aert will pass the Finestre like he
did? And to be able to ride so fast after?” Guimard asked. “But, after
analysis, when the race is over, yes, it was a mistake [to let him go].”
The combination of Yates’ timing and van Aert’s power was
simply too much. The fact that this move echoed past editions, “Hinault, he
also won a Giro d’Italia that way,” Guimard recalls, only reinforces how
timeless this tactic is: let one man go up the road, have him wait, and
detonate the race from behind.
Guimard’s final thoughts turn to the Dauphiné, where
Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel will race together for the first time since
the 2024 Tour. And once again, he injects caution into the preview.
“Just because you won the Dauphiné ahead of Vingegaard...
doesn’t mean you’ll win the Tour,” he warned. “We’re facing riders who are
coming off work blocks. Vingegaard, we don’t even know if he has raced since
the beginning of the year.”
That’s not a dismissal, but a reminder. In modern cycling,
preparation matters more than race days. Evenepoel knows this very well, as in
last year’s Dauphine he was dropped on the climbs, but a month later he was on
the Tour podium.
“We’ll still have clues, but we have to look around, not in
the middle.”
Read also
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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