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Orla Chennaoui tells us it’s the first time since 25 May 2018 that Simon Yates has worn the maglia rosa.
Meanwhile, the riders are rolling out in the neutralised zone. I suppose I should tell you the details for today’s stage – coming right up.
“If anyone’s going to win other than us, it’s my brother,” Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) said last night after his sibling’s phoenix-from-the-flames ride.
“Happy for him. I’m sure I will congratulate him. Also celebrate a little bit. We did a good race, so we can’t be disappointed.”
“It’s still sinking in,” says Simon Yates at today’s start line in Rome. “After yesterday’s stage we didn’t have much time, we had to rush to the airport to fly here, and we arrived late in the hotel. Yeah, still sinking in.
“The job’s not actually finished yet,” Yates says, laughing, when it is suggested that tonight will be a big party. “I need to cross the finish line here in Rome. I am trying to soak up the atmosphere as much as possible.
“My phone did explode a little bit [last night]. But I wanted to speak to my family. They are the ones who’ve been with me, through all the ups and downs.
“To pinpoint one [message last night] would be impossible. I don’t know, a lot of people can resonate with the story, losing the race a long time ago now, in 2018 … and the way I’ve managed to take it, I really think it’s touched a lot of people. It’s great.
“It [yesterday’s decisive attack] was all circumstantial. I just needed the right moment. I don’t know, to be honest, I always had the hope I could do something, but I never really believed it could happen.
“Life comes around, it gives and it takes. Yeah, that’s how it is.”
Such sad news. Robert Gesink’s wife, Daisy, died yesterday. The riders are now having a minute’s silence on the start line in her memory.
Simon Yates before Stage 21.
I bet you he enjoyed his colazione.
“This is incredible,” Wout van Aert told reporters after Stage 20. “We didn’t really think about this, this morning. Such a brave effort of Simon, to go all-in from so far. I love it when people are not racing for a “blaze of honour”. So yeah. Chapeau for him.”
“I never truly believed until the very last moment there,” Yates told the reporter and former pro rider, Adam Blythe. “I’m speechless, really.
“It’s still sinking in … I couldn’t hold back the tears. It’s something I’ve worked towards … yeah. I’ve had a lot of setbacks, but I finally managed to pull it off.”
Yates eyes fill with tears of happiness.
“You should be proud of yourself mate,” Blythe tells him. “Everyone at home is proud of you.”
“Thanks mate,” Yates said. “Appreciate it.”
He meant that, too.
“We love this sport,” Matt Stephens said on pundit duty for TNT. “We’ve had a go at this sport. We know what it takes … that performace was fuelled by the memories of a capitulation that he’s constantly reminded of.
“The race fell perfectly for him, but he had to ride the race of his life today. That ride will define his career. To see those tears was immensely powerful. His family will be so proud. His brother as well. What a day.”
If you’d written that script they’d have said: “Yep, that’s good, we’ll use that.”
Rob Hatch on commentary, describing the incredible scenes as Yates rolls in for the final kilometre on yesterday’s Stage 20: “Five-and-a-half hours of the most epic bike riding you are ever likely to see … the tension built for three weeks before an explosion on the Colle delle Finestre … They called it “doing a Froome” … But now, this is the day we will all remember. Now they will call it “doing a Yates”.
“Not even the best Hollywood scriptwriters would have put this together. It is sensational. One of the most glorious chapters in the history of professional cycling.”
Sean Kelly, commentating for TNT Sports with his customary common sense, describes what happened among the other GC contenders when Yates attacked on Stage 20:
“Isaac del Toro decided: ‘No, I’m not riding.’ Carapaz of course said: ‘Well, if you’re not riding mate, I’m not riding.’ And it’s just played into the hands of Simon Yates … there will be a lot of questions asked.”
Live pictures from Rome will start at 2pm BST. Did you watch yesterday’s punch-up in the Cottian Alps? Email me with your thoughts.
I’m now catching up on yesterday’s highlights: Wout van Aert has just sat up, and Yates is five minutes ahead on the road. Exciting!
In other #sports news, Will Unwin has the vroom-vroom Formula One from Barcelona here:
While James Wallace is blogging like a man possessed for England v West Indies in the second one-day international:
Wowzers, Elena Rybakina is 5-0 up on Iga Swiatek in their first set at Roland Garros. Join Daniel Harris, as long as you promise to come back for some Giro action later:
“Once the parcours was released I always had it in the back of my mind that maybe I could come here and close the chapter,” Yates told TNT Sports yesterday, referring to his painful experience on the Colle delle Finestre, at the hands of Chris Froome, in 2018. “Maybe not to take the pink jersey and the race but at least win the stage win or something.
“To try and show myself, the way I know I can do, and to pull it off – I really didn’t believe it. I have to thank the guys, the team. They believed in me and even during the stage they were saying ‘just give it a try’ and I did it in the end.
“I’m not really an emotional person but even coming over the finish line I couldn’t hold back the tears. It’s something I’ve worked towards throughout my career, year after year, and I’ve had a lot of setbacks. I’ve finally managed to pull it off.”
Preamble
It doesn’t matter where Saturday’s Stage 20 ranks in the pantheon of historic grand tour drama. Comparison being the thief of joy and all that. All we need worry about is that Simon Yates, of Team Visma–Lease A Bike, is about to win the Giro d’Italia after his astonishing climbing performance yesterday. All Yates needs to worry about, meanwhile, is crossing the finish line in one piece, in his shiny new maglia rosa, with his Visma-Lease A Bike teammates in tow.
Yates has been on the road in this gruelling race for 79 hours, 18 minutes and 42 seconds. Personally I have watched a grand total of zero seconds of that time, so I’m coming to this distinctly freddo. Feel free to email me with a concise summary of what’s happened up to this point, so I can subsquently pretend to know what I’m talking about.
As for yesterday’s excitement, you can read Tom Bassam’s excellent report here:
Stage 21 start time: 2pm BST
