And then there were the tears. We saw them for just a second at the finish line of stage 20 in Sestrière before Simon Yates, the new pink jersey wearer at this year’s Giro d’Italia, was lost to a frenzy of bodies, microphones and cameras. Everyone wanted a glimpse of the man who had achieved his impossible dream. Television pictures flashed up on screen showing the Visma-Lease a Bike rider, who is usually so reserved, breaking into heavy, visceral sobs. Yates had conquered La Corsa Rosa, the race which has both given and taken so much from him. Cycling does not grant fairytale endings often. This win was romance. It was magic.
The last time the Giro went up the Colle delle Finestre in 2018, Yates finished 38 minutes down after being brutally, tragically dropped by a devastating attack from Chris Froome who went on to win the pink jersey. The Sky rider’s performance was unprecedented and unexpected – Yates had seemed destined to win, but the maglia rosa slid from his grasp on the gravel slopes that make up one of Italy’s most fabled mountains. Now, seven years on, the British rider, older and wiser, has returned to the climb and rewritten the story. The demons have been fought and the redemption arc is complete. Perhaps it was written in the stars – a beautiful conclusion befitting of the sport’s most beautiful bike race.
“I’ve spent a lot of my life targeting this race. There’s been a lot of setbacks, it has been hard to deal with. I’m in disbelief that I have finally managed to pull it off,” Yates stated in his post-race press conference, his eyes glassy and voice cracking.
“When I saw the route and the parcours, I always had in the back of my mind to try something on this stage and climb that has defined my career so far. Right now is the peak of my career. Nothing will top this. I’m not getting any younger and to win the Giro, something I have not been able to pull off, it’s the best it will ever be.”
Throughout the three weeks which have made up this Grand Tour so far, Yates has remained unequivocally reserved and calm. Quietly, he had been staying close to his general classification rivals while still masterfully keeping out of the spotlight. Going into the final alpine stage, the 32-year-old was hiding in plain sight – third overall but avoiding the attention which was focused on Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz, the riders who sat in front of him in first and second. It has been the…