Simon Yates has claimed his first Giro d’Italia title as team-mate Olav Kooij received within the last stage dash in Rome.
The Visma-Lease a Bike chief claimed the pink jersey in audacious style with a daring long-range assault on the gravel Colle Delle Finestre yesterday and solely needed to make it to the end line safely on at this time’s dash stage.
It was double pleasure for the Dutch group as a text-book lead out helped propel Kooij to victory on the race’s last day.
On a twisty finale sprinting rivals Sam Bennett and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) discovered themselves boxed in and unable to overtake the Dutchman as he took his second win of the race.
Chatting with TNT Sports activities after the stage Kooij stated: “We couldn’t want for a greater last weekend. Yesterday was actually superb for the group and at this time I needed to give every little thing that was left within the legs, I simply needed to push it to the road.
“We had a plan however with sprinting it’s by no means simple to do it completely. At this time we actually dedicated to make it a dash and with Wout [van Aert] we simply went all in. I’m joyful to make it to the road.”
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) claimed the sprinters ciclamino jersey, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) received the blue mountains jersey and Isaac Del Torro received the white younger rider’s jersey. Del Torro’s UAE Group Emirates-XRG squad additionally received the group classification.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
The way it occurred
The early kilometres of the stage have been processional and marked by every of the jersey wearers and their groups taking a while to take in the second on the entrance of the peloton.
Visma-Lease a Bike did a lot of the work to maintain the race collectively till 75km to go when a break of six riders lastly muscled their method off the entrance. The group of Alessandro Verre (Arkea-B&B Resorts), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Josef Černý (Soudal Fast-Step), Michael Hepburn (Jayco-AlUla), Adrea Pietrobon (Group Polti VisitMalta), Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF- Faizanè), solid a niche of simply 30 seconds by the 30km to go mark.
Essentially the most dramatic second of the early racing was when Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious), who sat fifth on GC, suffered a flat and needed to chase again to the peloton.
However because the race pressed on the sprinters’ groups, together with Visma in celebratory pink accented package driving for Olav Kooij, started to dedicate extra sources to the chase and the hole tumbled down to simply 10 seconds because the riders crossed the 15km to go mark.
Paleni, seemingly chasing essentially the most aggressive rider prize for the day, attacked the break because the peloton closed in however Černý labored his method again throughout to him.
Černý rode away from Paleni on the ultimate lap of the twisty metropolis circuit to change into the final rider absorbed by the pack with 6km left to race.
Visma led the peloton into the ultimate kilometre with Kooij in Wout van Aert’s wheel. Pedersen lay in wait behind Kooij eager to spoil the pink jersey group’s day. However as Kooij opened up his dash Pedersen discovered himself boxed in.
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) got here dwelling in second with Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5 Pr Biking Group) in third.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
RESULTS GIRO D’ITALIA STAGE 2025, STAGE 21: ROME > ROME (143KM)
1. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike in 3:12:19
Giro d’Italia 2025 basic classification after stage 21
1. Simon Yates (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 82:31:01
