Yates finally settles the score with the Giro ghost on the Finestre: "Never really had confidence in it"

Yates lost the Giro on the Finestre in 2018, when he suffered a huge collapse and lost the lead to Chris Froome. This time, he followed in the footsteps of his compatriot, and it was simply meant to be. "When the route was announced, I always had this stage in the back of my mind to try something,” said an emotional Yates in the flash interview. "I wanted to close that chapter here. I'm still speechless about how I managed to do it."

For the 32-year-old British rider, the Giro was mainly about waiting, which ultimately paid off. "I felt good throughout the entire race. I never really had the right moment to show what I can do. Today, I found the opportunity. I managed to break away from those guys and knew I could ride at my own pace very well. That's what I did." In the end, Yates gained more than 5 minutes on his competitors.

This was partly thanks to Wout van Aert, who performed incredibly well and helped his lead rider perfectly in the final. "The whole team rode a great race; today was the icing on the cake. Without Wout in the valley and the rest of the team throughout the day, it wouldn't have been possible. I may look relaxed now, but this morning, I was doubtful that I could do anything today. But the guys encouraged me and kept believing in me," said an emotional Yates.

Tomorrow, he will make his ceremonial arrival in Rome with a comfortable lead of 3.56 minutes over second-placed Del Toro. Few experts gave Yates much of a chance at the start of the Giro, but now, seven years after the disappointment of Finestre, he can finally breathe easy. "It's unbelievable. I'm trying to find the words, but honestly, I can't say much more."

Yates also found it difficult to contain his emotions during the press conference. "I'm quite emotional," he told Cycling Pro, among others. "The Giro is something I've been working towards for many years, and I've had a lot of setbacks." Of course, everyone remembers the 2018 Giro, but in the 2022 Tour of Italy, the British rider went down as the top favorite: he had to drop out. Luck was not on the side of the little man from Bury.

This Giro came together, but it didn't go smoothly. It looked like Yates would have to ride for third place for a long time. "The two in front of me were stronger than me throughout the race, but the guys believed in me from the start. I never really had confidence in myself. Although, of course, we had Wout there," he says, referring to the final kilometers. The Belgian was of great value there. "I owe him one. It's not the first time he's shown that he's the ultimate teammate. It was because of him that the gap ended up being so big. I'm sure we'll have a great evening in Rome."