'It got spiteful' - Richard Carapaz and Isaac del Toro 'played poker and they both lost' as Simon Yates punishes rivals at Giro d'Italia
Updated 31/05/2025 at 19:10 GMT+1
Simon Yates stunned the Giro d’Italia with a daring solo attack on the Colle delle Finestre, capitalising on a bizarre tactical meltdown from rivals Richard Carapaz and Isaac del Toro. With a five-minute swing in his favour, Yates is now on the brink of overall victory. But the fallout from the Carapaz-Del Toro stalemate has left our pundits alike questioning what on earth they were playing at.
Highlights: Simon Yates detonates on Colle delle Finestre to take thrilling Giro win
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"He lost the Giro. I don’t think he rode well and in the end the smartest one won."
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) did not wait for the dust to settle. His pointed words to our Spanish reporters punctuated one of the most dramatic days in Grand Tour history, as Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) banished his demons on the Colle delle Finestre to all but win the Giro d’Italia.
While the Yates camp erupted in joy and disbelief, lots of eyes were on the extraordinary stalemate that unravelled behind him, as Carapaz and overnight leader Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) locked horns in a surreal battle of wills.
For much of the race, Carapaz had looked like Del Toro’s most credible challenger. On Stage 20 - the final proper day of racing - EF upped the tempo from the foot of the Finestre, clearly setting up their man for a tilt at pink.
Del Toro absorbed the early digs, and soon only two riders remained: Carapaz driving the pace, Del Toro locked onto his wheel. Yates, invisible for most of the Giro, already looked out of it.
But as Carapaz yo-yoed the tempo, testing Del Toro’s legs but failing to shake him, Yates hit his groove and bridged across. And then he launched.
Carapaz initially covered the move. But when Yates attacked again, the Ecuadorian sat up - leaving Del Toro to respond. Del Toro did not. Yates vanished up the road.
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‘I really didn’t believe’ – Simon Yates reacts to EPIC Giro win
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Technically, Yates was still over a minute behind in GC. But the threat grew rapidly. Carapaz resumed his attacks; Del Toro, calm as ever, followed every one.
Then came the surreal part. The two favourites, locked in a bizarre stand-off, practically ground to a halt on the climb. Neither wanted to lead the other up the mountain, making it look more like a velodrome sprint than the decisive climb of a Grand Tour. All while Yates, with super-domestique Wout van Aert waiting just beyond the summit, was charging into the virtual lead of the race.
By the time Yates latched onto Van Aert’s wheel, his lead was near two minutes - enough to put him in pink by around 40 seconds. When Van Aert finally swung off - his job done - the gap had ballooned to almost five with only one climb remaining.
Yates powered up the final ascent to grab a scarcely believable 3'56" lead over Del Toro going into the final stage, wiping memories from the 2018 Giro when Chris Froome pulled a similar trick on him on the same climb. Barring a catastrophe on Sunday’s procession into Rome, he will win the Giro d’Italia.
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‘Both played a game of poker and lost’ – Stephens on strategy that cost Del Toro and Carapaz
Video credit: TNT Sports
Asked what he made of his duel with Del Toro, Carapaz pulled no punches.
"I think we could have been the strongest if we were more intelligent," he said, before insisting his rival "lost" the Giro.
Back in the TNT Sports studio, our experts could not believe what they had witnessed.
"They just got so caught up in their own battle and then it just seemed to get spiteful," said Robbie McEwen on the Del Toro-Carapaz showdown.
"It was no more about tactics - in the end it was like 'if I'm not going to win it, I'm going to make sure you don't win it'. It was hard to watch from a tactical point of view."
Matt Stephens chimed in: "Every time that Carapaz went, it took Del Toro a couple of metres to get back on, but they're all seated efforts. He was trying to get back on as economically as he could on a climb like that. So he was riding smart, he wasn't panicking.
"But I'm just wondering, when we got a little bit further up the climb and the gap was like 1'40" and still eminently bring-backable - if that's a word - what was being said? I think Carapaz was right to go 'Look, I'm not gonna give you the win here.'
"I'm just wondering about the instructions and there seems to be this hesitation and doubt and ambiguity. Just the look on both of the faces. They both played a game of poker, and they both lost."
Former Ineos Grenadiers sport director Steve Cummings added: "It was almost like they were letting the Giro ride up the road."
The panel were also puzzled by the celebrations at the finish from Del Toro and UAE, given they had just surrendered the pink jersey on the final competitive stage.
"Really weird... he looked good," McEwen said about Del Toro.
"I don't get cycling anymore."
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