Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 2025 stage 20: Verrès – Sestrière, 205 km

[Eddy Evenepoel]

He had raced aggressively until Finestre and was out of power.

He got sick. Racing aggressively early in the Giro was probably not ideal for the third week, but with the illness it wouldn’t have mattered if he had raced more conservative or not. I believe he would’ve won that Giro easy without the illness, racing too aggressive or not early on.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Yea, if Carapaz was alone. However, it was in EF and Jumbo's interest to not let UAE dictate an easy pace, so if their doms could have ensured a tough ride up to the sterrato then that's when you put in a big attack. In any case, they underestimated Yates. When Carapaz with Del Toro on his wheel tried to get back to Yates, closing to 20 secs, that's where his previous attacks left him short of power.

That's the thing, their (EF) doms can't ensure that as we've seen all Giro long. If the were to "pace" the first half of the climb "hard", the GC group would've been 20 riders deep with probably 4 UAE doms. In no way is that a better scenario for Carapaz than what they did instead.
As for "underestimating" Yates, I think he was at no point in the race in a position to over or underestimate Yates as he always would've had to get rid of Del Toro first. Letting Yates go was not underestimating him, it was his only way to win at all that moment in the race. Which is beside the point that Yates was just stronger today and is overall the rider with the ability of producing a better climbing performance, just less consistent.

 

[hfer07]

Hats off to Simon Yates & Visma for pulling off this masterpiece

Inexperience played Del Toro and costed him the pink jersey - but hats off to him for such incredible Giro. He'll win it in a near future

Carapaz? He tried, and tried...... but with no plan at all. His gambit was "self deceiving" and dragged Del Toro along with it....

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Except that he has no teammates capable of doing that. No, what I meant is at some point it became clear that Del Toro could answer the accelerations. Ok, then try to ride him of the wheel. But Carapaz has to do that all on his own.

I mean, considering how they completly destroyed the group at the foot of the climb, I think they could have, with a bit more calmness, done it 5 km further up. Or maybe Jumbo would have took over and done a similar job for Yates, and he could have used that as a springboard.

 

[AnotherArmChair]

I think EF should have just ridden at Carapaz‘s 1 hour pace until the domestiques run out. Then Carapaz should have just done one full-gas punch and then tried to crack Del Toro. This strategy they did was just playing to Del Toro‘s strengths.

agree totally with this...thought the attack was too early and maybe too explosive so far out. I get that he wanted to isolate del Toro but a steady high pace over a longer period was more likely to be effective than changes in tempo or sudden stop start attacking which as we saw all week del Toro was able to cope with

Carapaz clearly did when he got to 20 secs to Yates, but didn't have the energy to close. At that point Del Toro staying on the wheel made no sense. That's when he should have tried to leave Carapaz behind and catch Yates. If he had the energy, but chose to stay with Carapaz, it was an impardonable mistake.

Yes..here was where the race was lost. The UAE car should have said dont let Yates go at this point but I think they as others did underestimated Yates. He, as he said in his interview. has been preparing for this stage since it was announced . All the time in the back of his head he has been looking I suppose to put the ghosts of 2018 to bed

 

[AupaPyama]

Mindblowing stage! I was out on my bike myself so I watched afterwards without knowing the results. What where they thinking? UAE not taking control, really weak DS but also riders who are not willing to go all in and protecting own GC, Carapaz full attack from km 0 Finestre not using his team to the max, surplace mid mountain Del Toro/Carapaz, are they really hating each other so much? Reminded me off Roglic/Nibali/Carapaz in the Giro 2019. But maybe its a reminder for UAE to race better in La Tour.

 

[Cookster15]

Wow, just catching up on this result, the Giro delivers again!

Congrats to Simon Yates and Chris Harper. If anyone predicted that they were simply lucky.

Also surprised Del Toro didn't lose time on Finestre. That confirms he is a big force for future grand tours.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Wow, just catching up on this result, the Giro delivers again!

Congrats to Simon Yates and Chris Harper. If anyone predicted that they were simply lucky.

Also surprised Del Toro didn't lose time on Finestre. That confirms he is a big force for future grand tours.

He lost time (and jersey) to Yates on Finestre.

 

[Cookster15]

He lost time (and jersey) to Yates on Finestre.

Was meaning he didn't lose time to Carapaz who most of us expected to be too good.

 

[noob]

UAE could just hire Naesen for the laugh of it

 

[Divergence]

EF gamed with Wout in the break. More likely was that both Yates and Carapaz are ahead of IDT on the top of Finest and Wout drags Carapaz and Yates away from IDT.
UAE should have never let Wout go in the break and get 10min.
Carapaz did what he could. It was probably not possible to ride IDT off his wheel and he had only so many attacks in him. Maybe he could have latched onto Yates, but who knows what might have happened then.
The obvious disaster is IDT, which I am glad is the case because he gained his advantage due the the misfortune of others. The funny thing is he says he both thinks he could have won the Giro but he is also happy with how the stage went and he rode smart. To repeat Carapaz's sentiment: "Not very intelligent".
All in all pretty underwhelming Giro in terms of performances, maybe even worse that TGH's win but it is what it is.
Let us hope for a great TdF with a better route and no crashes (but really all this crashing is already getting ridiculous).

 

[Leinster]

Totally understand why this is the media take on the day, and of course Yates's big time loss was on Finestre day, but if I remember correctly he had been adrift (and unwell?) from very early on. Finestre may have determined the extent of his losses that day, but was not the cause of it.

Or is my memory confused?

Yates was cooked in 2018. He’d lost time the day before, and the only question on Finestre day was how much time Dumoulin, Carapaz, Lopez and the other gc contenders would put into him. When Sky went full-train, he hadn’t a hope.

 

[Unchained]

That's old school. Where you didn't attack on Mortirolo, because tempo was enough. Attacks, you paid for that later. Nowadays they seem good enough to do the attacks and not pay later. I don't think Carapaz paid for the attacks. Or Del Toro for following. It was deciding not to follow or then chase Yates, decision by Del Toro, that made the diffference.

Not only do I think Del Toro paid, but when he tried to use his credit card over and over, declined and he was over his limit! Carapaz has been making bicycle bank account deposits for decade longer than Del Toro..21, Richard 32 with better credit rating!!

 

[Rackham]

Just rewatching parts of the climb and looking at how the race unfolded it's pretty evident both UAE and EF totally overestimated their own riders and underestimated Simon Yates + Wout van Aert.

That's literally the beginning, middle and end of their problems right there.

They did not believe Simon Yates could drop them. But drop them he did. Carapaz couldn't bridge over, even when Dries De Bondt decided to ride dom for both Del Toro and Carapaz for whatever reason (one of those "great mysteries of the unexplained" that only cycling can produce in the decisive stage of a GT).

I think the fallout and mud slinging between the two camps (& their fans) has a whole lot of cope going on as well because there's still a refusal to accept what happened since Carapaz and Del Toro were stronger than Yates in recent days. But that was Finestre. A 60 minute HC climb. Yates was the best and deserved his GC win.

 

[Andy262]

Great post, fully agree on practically everything. UAE showed levels of disasterclassing that even Movistar in their Valverde/Landa/Nairo years didn't display. Also, it didn't feel like a team at all, McNulty denying any turns to save his 10th spot in GC? You saw Rafal Majka shaking his head in disbelief how they ended up in this position out of pure, tactical mismanagement.

Happy though cause another GT win by UAE would be bad for the sport.

I really felt McNulty had no interest in supporting Del Toro, ditto Adam Yates, and that was the whole of the last ten days. From the point Ayuso began to crumble the team seemed to have no focus or common purpose.

 

[noob]

@noob I don't know if you are trying to be as nice as @Sandisfan is, but thank you so much.

I'm really just reacting without any spite or irony. I LOVED watching the stage and reading everything in reverse, it was so absolutely fun! It all turned so ironic.

Anyone else try it, it's a hilarious ride to watch a stage in reverse while following the forum as if it was all in now time

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I really felt McNulty had no interest in supporting Del Toro, ditto Adam Yates, and that was the whole of the last ten days. From the point Ayuso began to crumble the team seemed to have no focus or common purpose.

I halfway agree. I doubt they had any interest in supporting Ayuso either.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Given the main story of the day, it seems rather forgotten, but who on Earth is Alessandro Verre, and was he just one Australian away from being the most obscure GT stage winner in living memory?

 

[SorelyBoy]

Simon won it by gambling. Him and Visma had a strategy. They knew it was a long shot, but as with Froome and Sky in 2018, he struck gold because those behind him couldn’t get their act together.
I don’t blame Carapaz, he was right to put it up to Del Toro to work with him as it was Del Toro’s Giro to lose. But neither does Del Toro deserve to be saddled with all the blame. He’s a young inexperienced rider and he badly needed help from his UAE DS.

 

[jsem94]

Wasn't able to watch the race live, wish I could have. This is why we I love cycling. Didn't see this coming honestly, and I don't think the other podium finishers did either. They really threw this just as much as Yates and WvA won it.

 

[Unchained]

EF gamed with Wout in the break. More likely was that both Yates and Carapaz are ahead of IDT on the top of Finest and Wout drags Carapaz and Yates away from IDT.
UAE should have never let Wout go in the break and get 10min.
Carapaz did what he could. It was probably not possible to ride IDT off his wheel and he had only so many attacks in him. Maybe he could have latched onto Yates, but who knows what might have happened then.
The obvious disaster is IDT, which I am glad is the case because he gained his advantage due the the misfortune of others. The funny thing is he says he both thinks he could have won the Giro but he is also happy with how the stage went and he rode smart. To repeat Carapaz's sentiment: "Not very intelligent".
All in all pretty underwhelming Giro in terms of performances, maybe even worse that TGH's win but it is what it is.
Let us hope for a great TdF with a better route and no crashes (but really all this crashing is already getting ridiculous).

To describe anything Del Toro did as a disaster is just not to know the athlete or good racing.
The misfortune of others was clearly created not by the racers, but by race organizers.
And it's been displayed multiple times, it's clear that you can't use road racing support strategies in gravel racing.
In road bike racing breathing, visibility, mechanical and medical support are basics, not optional or some entertaining hybrid. Race organization should just issue and mandate welders goggles to all riders and support vehicles to limit visibility, why just have only temporary conditions, be more intriguing, if nobody could see from the start.. The one thing that this Giro had was multiple near misses every day in every stage, skinny roads with dangerous vehicle quantities, operation throughout. This Giro showed anyone paying attention that a tragedy is going to happen, that's for certain, when and who will be involved are only things unknown.
UAE experienced part of the hybrid disaster, what do we do when multiple favorites crash in hybrid conditions, what to do.. They sent Del Toro and he delivered that day and for the following weeks, you can have some luck in bike racing, but not 3 weeks worth, guy is the real deal.
And as long as I complaining about race design, TDF making stages intentionally dangerous is stupid.

 

[noob]

I recommend watching a stage like this afterwards while reading the forum simultaneously. Not to spite anyone but it's abosolutely hilarious.

I liked all the top 3 riders a LOT. I cherish this forum and everyone on it! I'm completely sincere to this place. You give me all an immense joy! Even if I watched this stage afterwards it was amazing!

Poor Carapaz and Del Toro.

Oh and btw I don't like UAE bosses so I always laugh my ass off at their tactics, they're absolute hilarity.

(I'm really sorry to say it, but in interviews Mauro is a complete gentleman :O )

 

[noob]

Wasn't able to watch the race live, wish I could have. This is why we I love cycling. Didn't see this coming honestly, and I don't think the other podium finishers did either. They really threw this just as much as Yates and WvA won it.

If you can watch the stage it's completely worth it to watch it even if the race is over. It was absolute comedy!

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Interesting reading a lot of this and referring back to Stage 16. Where Yates and Del Toro were playing around (before Yates dropped him) with Carapaz attacking before. At no point were people saying anything other than ‘Carapaz is the strongest’.
Following that, everyone underestimated Simon because he wasn’t explosive and following everything Carapaz and Del Toro did in the up-coming stages. He lost time yes. But only on shallower gradients and getting stuck in the group behind. He knew this is where the difference was going to be made. He didn’t waste any energy and he went all out once he got a gap. The strongest in the race.

 

[dercuforever]

To me Del Toro looked on the limit several times on the climb.
Carapaz and him did start and stop for 3/4 km before being cooked, and Simon saw it.
Even if you are the strongest, if you pace bad, you won't catch someone a little weaker than you.
Del toro started to let gaps mid climb, he couldnt keep the wheel and started energy saving.
No way he could have catch or reduce the gap to WVA alone on the flat.
Even if he kept them in reach, Carapaz would drpp him and he'd finish 3rd.
He'll have many more opportunities.
Carapaz won't.