Simon Yates on verge of Giro triumph after epic stage 20 effort / Photo: © AFP
Simon Yates on verge of Giro triumph after epic stage 20 effort
Simon Yates is set to win the Giro d'Italia after stealing the overall lead from Isaac Del Toro in Saturday's crucial 20th stage, won by Australia's Chris Harper, and claiming the pink jersey for the finale in Rome.
Briton Yates will claim a career-defining triumph on Sunday barring disaster after overhauling Del Toro with a brave solo attack on the key Colle delle Finistre climb and finishing the stage third behind Harper and Alessandro Verre.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider now only has to cross the line intact in Rome to win his second Grand Tour, with the final stage largely a procession around the Italian capital and Vatican City.
Yates is almost four minutes clear of Del Toro heading into the finale after redemption on the Finistre, the highest climb of this year's Giro and a long 18.5km slog up to 2,178 metres above sea level.
He lost the pink jersey the last time the Finistre featured in the Giro, in the 19th stage of the 2018 edition when he ended up finishing over an hour behind eventual victor Chris Froome in the overall standings.
Yates trailed both Del Toro and Richard Carapaz at the start of the stage after losing 22 seconds on Friday, but he delivered himself victory after pulling away on the key climb.
UAE rider Del Toro spent most of the climb just staying on Carapaz's wheel and ended up unable to bridge the gap to Yates, handing over the pink jersey he had held since the ninth stage.
The final stage will honour the late Pope Francis with an unprecedented ride through the Vatican, and new Pope Leo XIV will greet the cyclists as they pass through.
D.S.Robertson--TNT
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