We are all still in shock from what we witnessed on stage 20 of this year’s Giro d’Italia.
Despite our attempts to break it down and analyze the myriad of circumstances that contributed to one of the most unique, baffling, and inspiring races we’ve ever seen, we must remember that no amount of anticipation or prediction can prepare us for what truly happens in a race.
Before delving deeper, I want to take a moment to congratulate Chris Harper of Team Jayco-AlUla for his incredible ride last Saturday by winning stage 20 in impressive fashion from the breakaway.
Unfortunately, his victory will forever be overshadowed by the drama that unfolded behind him on the roads up to Sestrière, through no fault of his own.
Good on ya, mate!
The Finestre: The perfect stage for Yates’ pink jersey coup
When a grand tour’s race route is released and a decisive stage is scheduled for the penultimate day, you can count on an exciting race.
After nearly three weeks of groveling on the wheels together, the attitude in the peloton suddenly switches from survival to attack mode, knowing this will be the last big effort of the tour.
Riders want to leave everything out on the road, especially if their team leader still has a chance to win the overall race. Teams must plan their work and work their plan to perfection while keeping a level head during moments of stress and pivoting to the strategy that unfolds in real-time.
During a three-week stage race, teams have plenty of time to learn the strengths, weaknesses, and tactics of other teams.
Naturally, the leader’s team is the most scrutinized, as they possess what every other team desires … the leader’s jersey. If the opposition can find even the tiniest weakness, they will undoubtedly try to exploit it in a last-minute effort to snatch victory.
EF Education-EasyPost ignites a stage for the ages
EF Education-EasyPost did their homework and realized that UAE Team Emirates-XRG had strength in numbers on the climbing stages, thanks to the incredible work done by Brandon McNulty, Rafal Majka, and Adam Yates throughout the race.
They hatched a plan to isolate Isaac del Toro on the dreaded Colle delle Finestre.
Their plan worked to perfection as the infernal pace quickly distanced the mountain domestiques from UAE, leaving veteran Richard Carapaz alone with the young Del Toro for most of one of the hardest climbs in the world.
At that moment, it seemed everything would come down to these two stars of the 2025 Giro, but another team had their plan that was about to be revealed.
Simon Yates absorbed the initial surge at the bottom of the Finestre at his own pace.
When the gap reached 25 seconds, he set out in pursuit of the two leaders and closed the gap with ease. It seemed like a stalemate with the top three in the general classification together.
But Yates had other plans for the climb that had ruined his chances of winning the Giro d’Italia back in 2018. He also had a not-so-secret weapon, Team Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert, up the road in the breakaway, waiting to be called into action.
Back in 2018, it was clear that Simon made a mistake in his fueling and barely finished the stage, but a lot has changed with fueling since then.
Chris Froome and Team Sky pioneered the mega high-carb fueling protocols, and this was on full display as Froome fueled correctly, attacked, and snatched overall victory on similar parcours.
After Yates’ fourth acceleration, he finally gapped Del Toro and Carapaz.
A masterclass and a disaster in the high Alps
What we witnessed next was both a masterclass and a disaster.
We all have our opinions on what the riders in first and second in the general classification should have done when the rider in third overall attacked, but the more I think about it, there was little that could be done against a rider motivated to cleanse his soul of terrible memories of the Colle delle Finestre and with very little to lose.
It was clear that Yates was on a mission, experiencing a day that riders can only dream of in such situations.
Everyone knew that to make a difference on this stage, you had to do it on the Colle delle Finestre, as the final climb to Sestrière from this direction would not be as selective due to its mild gradient.
If there was a master plan from Visma-Lease a Bike in place, Yates made it happen with his legs and heart.
One can argue that it was a tactical mistake by one team or another, a private feud between Del Toro and Carapaz, or something entirely different that we will never know.
However, the bottom line is that they were at their limit before the gravel even started and were beaten by a better rider on the day.
Del Toro will see more chances, but when?
I have nothing but respect for Del Toro’s performance in this year’s Giro.
We must remember that this is just his second year as a professional. He rides for UAE Emirates-XRG, the most dominant team in the world which is accustomed to winning, had the pink jersey for almost two weeks, won a stage, and is only 21 years old. That is a lot to handle while the whole cycling world watches.
My only critique is that I would have liked to see more passion and grit on the Colle delle Finestre.
Winning a grand tour is not always pretty, and if you are going to lose the race on the penultimate climb, go down swinging with your tongue on the top tube!
I hope Del Toro will have the chance to be in this situation again and learn from his mistakes.
However, he may not have any opportunity like this for a long time due to the long list of general classification specialists who didn’t participate in the Giro this year.
As we reflect on this year’s amazing race, I am reminded that in the cycling world, anything can happen, and it is this unpredictability that makes this sport what it is. Perhaps in time, we will truly understand what exactly took place here, but all the riders in this year’s race made it another moment to remember.
With the Critérium du Dauphiné starting in a few days and the Tour de France quickly approaching, it looks like another great summer of racing for all of us fans to enjoy!