Giro d’Italia 2025: Britain's Simon Yates reflects on ‘amazing’ victory after final stage - ‘Defining moment of my career’
Published 01/06/2025 at 21:28 GMT+1
It was a day of celebration in Rome for Visma–Lease a Bike, who saw Simon Yates secure a long-awaited Giro d'Italia triumph and Olav Kooij sprint home to win the final stage. Yates, having lifted the trophy on the podium, said it was the "defining moment" of his career, while TNT Sports' Matt Stephens praised the Brit's "beautiful" ride in Italy.
‘Defining moment of my career’ – Simon Yates reflects on ‘amazing’ Giro d’Italia triumph
Video credit: TNT Sports
Simon Yates said his memorable Giro d'Italia triumph was likely the "defining moment" of his career.
The 32-year-old Brit took a lead of close to four minutes into the final stage, after his remarkable victory on Stage 20.
And there was no late drama as Yates finished in the peloton and Visma–Lease a Bike team-mate Olav Kooij took the stage win in Rome.
It meant Yates' long wait for Giro glory was over, as he secured a second Grand Tour seven years after his Vuelta a Espana victory in 2018.
Yates said: "I think it's still sinking in, what a huge moment in my career, the defining moment, maybe. Just incredibly proud of the whole team over the three weeks.
"We didn't have much of a turnaround last night. We kept the focus and we knew we had a good chance with Olav [Kooij] today, and he's pulled it off.
"I've had some good successes but I don't think anything comes close. We'll celebrate for sure and see what's to come."
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‘He rode a beautiful Giro d’Italia’ – How ‘masterful’ Simon Yates captured career-defining win
Video credit: TNT Sports
'He rode a beautiful Giro d'Italia'
The TNT Sports studio were full of praise for a visibly emotional Yates as he lifted the Trofeo Senza Fine.
"He was so patient," said Matt Stephens. "When you think about how much experience this lad has got and how much belief and how much he wanted it... He bided his time, he rode a beautiful Giro d'Italia.
"There shouldn't just be photographs of the podium with the ruins in the background, there should be a Renaissance style painting.
"It's actually wonderful. What a fitting backdrop to a quite magnificent story that this man wrote with patience, diligence and belief. It's absolutely masterful, it really is.
"It's so great to see, just the joy and emotion. It illustrates the unwavering, quite incredible self-belief, to be so patient over all the years, just to wait, find an opportunity, move teams.
"He's had a lot of illness and injury, and for the last few years he's been in the shadow of Adam [Yates].
"Again, he's just proved his class, his persistence. He's found this wonderful environment at Visma–Lease a Bike."
Stream the 2025 cycling season, including the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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