Yates takes control of Giro with stunning Finestre climb as powerhouse Van Aert dominates and Harper seals the win

The battle for the overall win remained wide open heading into the final mountain stage, and what a stage it was. The iconic Colle delle Finestre awaited in the finale of this grueling 200 kilometer day. No doubt many riders woke up with a sense of dread, and for good reason. The monster climb stretches over 18 kilometers with an average gradient of 9.2 percent. To make matters worse, the final eight kilometers are unpaved, a true test for both legs and equipment. For the GC contenders, the risk of punctures loomed large.

The Finestre provided a spectacular backdrop for the nail-biting fight for the maglia rosa, with race leader Del Toro and challenger Carapaz the main contenders for the coveted pink jersey and the beautiful trophy that comes with it. Just 43 seconds separated the Mexican sensation from Carapaz in the standings. On such a brutal ascent, that margin meant nothing. The overall classification was still very much up for grabs.

While the finale was brutally hard, the early part of the stage was anything but. The fight for the break unfolded on flat roads, which did not play into the hands of the climbers chasing a stage win. As a result, few pure climbers made it into the day’s move, which formed after several groups merged. Lidl Trek was represented by purple jersey wearer Mads Pedersen and Carlos Verona, who had already claimed a tough stage from the break earlier in the race. Other notable names included Pello Bilbao of Bahrain Victorious, Wout van Aert of Visma Lease a Bike, Chris Harper of Jayco AlUla, and Jefferson Cepeda of Movistar. In total, the breakaway featured 31 riders.

The large group was given plenty of room early on, with their advantage ballooning to nearly nine minutes. That finally prompted Carapaz’s team to put some men on the front and bring the gap back to around seven to eight minutes. It was clear the GC contender wanted to keep the option of contesting bonus seconds at the line alive, as those could still prove decisive in the battle for the overall win.

Carapaz and his team had a tense moment on the descent of the Colle del Lys. The team leader and a few teammates were forced to slam on the brakes after misjudging a tricky corner. Whether related or not, the break’s lead soon grew to ten minutes, though EF Education continued to control the gap. Suddenly, the breakaway’s chances looked much brighter.

As expected, the break shattered on the steep slopes of the Finestre. Chris Harper of Jayco AlUla and Alessandro Verre of Arkéa B&B Hotels opened a gap on Quentin Pacher, Gianmarco Garofoli, and Verona. Meanwhile, in the GC group, Carapaz’s teammates set a fierce tempo on the climb, blowing the peloton apart. Georg Steinhauser then launched an attack with Carapaz glued to his wheel.

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. Del Toro responded with authority, bridging across to his closest rival’s wheel. The duel was on. But Simon Yates was not out of the picture. The Visma Lease a Bike leader clawed his way back from a significant gap to rejoin the two frontrunners.

Yates was eager to press on and distance them, but Carapaz and Del Toro weren’t giving an inch. Still, the Brit refused to back down. After several stinging attacks, he finally opened a gap, helped in part by Carapaz and Del Toro getting too caught up in watching each other. Yates built a strong lead, though much of it was erased when Carapaz launched a blistering counter in an attempt to drop Del Toro once again, but to no avail.

Former breakaway riders Jacopo Mosca of Lidl Trek and Dries De Bondt of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale surprisingly joined the GC battle. At one point, Mosca even paced Yates, while De Bondt soon after took turns on the front for Carapaz and Del Toro. It made for some unexpected scenes.

Meanwhile, Yates had capitalized on the hesitation between Carapaz and Del Toro and opened up a sizeable gap. At one point, he was over a minute ahead, cutting his overall deficit to Del Toro down to around 20 seconds. But there was still a long road ahead. Still, Carapaz and Del Toro were certainly gambling by allowing the Visma Lease a Bike leader so much space.

Yates even moved into the virtual pink jersey, finally prompting Del Toro to up the pace. And it was about time, as Yates still had Van Aert up the road, a key ally for the descent and the early run-in to Sestrière. Up front, Harper had meanwhile dropped Verre. The Australian climber still held a solid gap and looked on track for the stage win.

Carapaz could no longer wait and started driving the pace himself. The gap to Yates was nearly two minutes, but it slowly began to come down. The chase was far from full gas though, and over the top, the Visma Lease a Bike rider still had a comfortable lead. In fact, the gap was 1:40, enough to keep him in virtual pink. And he still had one card to play: Wout van Aert waiting just ahead.

Yates dove into the descent like a hawk, taking big risks. He came close to overcooking one corner, but soon found his Belgian teammate waiting. Van Aert couldn’t have timed it better, immediately slotting in to tow his leader. Once on the valley floor, Yates tucked in behind his powerhouse teammate, who drove a blistering pace. The gap only grew, helped by the fact that Del Toro and Carapaz were busy frustrating each other. Del Toro flat-out refused to chase alone, and with that, his hopes of winning the Giro all but vanished.

Van Aert emptied the tank for his British teammate and finally dropped him off with about 7 kilometers to go. The gap to Del Toro? Five minutes. The top two in the overall standings were not contributing at all, allowing riders like Gee, Majka, McNulty, Pellizzari and others to claw their way back. But the pace remained sluggish. Up ahead, Yates continued his solo mission, calmly extending his advantage.

Meanwhile, Harper soloed to a well-deserved stage win. The Australian held strong in the finale and claimed the biggest victory of his career. His original goal was a top-10 finish in Rome, but conquering the Finestre stage will surely taste even sweeter. Behind him, Verre crossed the line in second, while Yates celebrated a third place that effectively sealed his Giro triumph. Del Toro did win the small sprint from the chasing group, but by then he was more than five minutes adrift of Yates.