Archive June 1, 2025

Simon Yates may have been forgiven for detesting the Giro d’Italia, but he does enjoy it.

This Grand Tour has repeatedly punished Yates differently than it has done in a sport that is associated with suffering.

The British rider failed to win in his first contest in 2018, falling only to Rome in the process.

Over the course of the following four years, his attempts suffered from illness, injury, and indifferent form.

After two years, he was a contender for this edition, but he is not widely regarded as one of the pre-race favorites.

Perhaps his heart became fonder as a result of his absence. The Englishman’s resolve to conquer this gorgeous but brutal race steelier.

Yates’ audacious attack on stage 20 resulted in his taking the leader’s jersey for the first time since that 2018 collapse after quietly maintaining his composure.

He won his second Grand Tour title in Rome on Sunday, surpassing the 2018 Vuelta a Espana, and crossed the finish line in pink.

Yates’ tears began to pour down after he finished his Sestriere interview on Saturday and continued to pour down throughout his post-performances.

When the typically reserved 32-year-old finally spoke, “I’ve really invested a lot of my career and my life into targeting this race, and there’s been a lot of setbacks.”

Understatement: Setbacks.

An underwhelming eighth of the year 2019. Forced to withdraw after contracting Covid-19 in 2020.

A difficult fortnight in 2021 before a strong final week to finish third. Sustaining a knee injury in a crash early on in 2022 that ultimately forced him to abandon.

That first year still cut the deepest though.

In 2018, he held the leader’s jersey for 13 days, won three stages, but on stage 19 fell from first to 18th overall as compatriot Chris Froome pulled off a staggering comeback on his way to his first and only Giro title. Yates ended up finishing 21st.

How fitting it was on the same climb Yates crumbled on seven years ago – the Colle delle Finestre – that he saw his window and rode away from rivals Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz to glory.

Afterwards, Yates revealed he had privately been targeting the climb since the route was announced, wanting to “close that chapter” from 2018, despite not having ridden it since.

Even then, Yates thought it would be for a stage win, rather than for the pink jersey.

He did not draw attention to his aim and Yates ‘ return to the Finestre was not the dominant narrative before stage 20. The focus was on a showdown between leader Del Toro and second-placed Carapaz.

Having resisted the allure of Team Sky when he turned professional in 2014, Bury-born Yates and twin brother Adam joined Australian outfit Orica–GreenEdge.

Adam left at the end of 2020, but Simon remained with the team, now called Jayco–AlUla, until the end of last season, taking a pay cut to join Visma-Lease a Bike.

Visma’s experience of winning Grand Tours has proved vital for Yates. The Dutch team have won four Vueltas, two Tours de France and now two Giros since 2019.

Putting generational talent Wout van Aert up the road to help Yates bury his rivals on the final climb on Saturday was masterful.

It had not all been heartbreak for Yates at the Giro. He won six individual stages from 2018 to 2022, often in swashbuckling style.

This year was different. He quietly went about his business before striking at the ideal moment.

Yates did not place higher than third on any stage and did not enter the top 10 overall until stage seven.

He is the first Giro winner since Alberto Contador in 2015 not to also win a stage.

Yates moved up to second on stage 14 and, though he slipped back to third on stage 17, his measured approach appeared to be paying off, with 2019 chamion Carapaz left to do most of the attacking.

Then came stage 19. Yates lost more time and was visibly annoyed at the finish, saying his team had not raced to the agreed plan.

He went into the penultimate stage one minute 21 seconds down on Del Toro.

That sense of ‘ not again ‘ that engulfed Rory McIlroy’s final round at this year’s Masters was palpable. It seemed Yates ‘ chance had gone.

Even Adam was against him, riding in support of UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mate Del Toro.

But Yates showed maturity by apologising to his team before the start on Saturday, admitting he was just disappointed at his own performance, before channelling that frustration as Visma’s plan worked perfectly.

Dropping to third probably helped him in the end, with Del Toro and Carapaz marking each other somewhat bafflingly as Yates went clear.

Like McIlroy, Yates sobbed before the smile arrived when he knew he had finally won the title he wanted most.

He had a broad grin in Rome, but was also perceptive about what he has achieved.

“A lot of people can resonate with the story, losing the race a long time ago now, in 2018”, he said before the final stage. “The way I’ve managed to take it, I really think it’s touched a lot of people”.

He is set to ride this year’s Tour in support of team-mate Jonas Vingegaard, who is bidding for a third title, with Yates possibly able to target stage wins too.

Perhaps this victory will free him up to win more Grand Tours. Perhaps it won’t.

There will be a lot of talk of redemption but Yates had not shamed himself in failing to win the Giro before. Misfortune and stronger competitors had defeated him.

How poetic this year gave him the chance to complete the circle of his Giro story.

As Yates said: “Life comes around, it gives and it takes”.

This is not redemption but release.

Relief.

Second ODI, Cardiff

West Indies 308 (47. 4 overs): Carty 103 (105); Rashid 4-63

England 312-7 (48. 5 overs): Root 166* (139); Joseph 4-31

England won by three wickets; lead series 2-0

Joe Root became England’s leading run-scorer in one-day internationals as his sparkling unbeaten 166 secured a three-wicket win over West Indies in Cardiff.

Root, who is also his country’s highest run-scorer in Tests, finished with 166 from 139 balls as England reached their target of 309 with seven balls remaining to take the three-match series with a game to spare.

He surpassed World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan’s tally of 6,957 runs on the way to his highest ODI score, leading England’s recovery from 93-4 which included ducks for Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett and Jos Buttler.

Root combined with Harry Brook for a third-wicket stand of 85, before a masterful partnership of 143 with Will Jacks put England within touching distance of victory.

A fierce spell from Alzarri Joseph, who finished with 4-31, accounted for Jacks for 49 and Brydon Carse for two to keep West Indies interested, but Root and Adil Rashid calmly ticked off the remaining 21 runs, sealed in style by a classical Root drive down the ground.

Earlier, West Indies’ 308 was set up by Keacy Carty’s 103, bookended by half-centuries from Brandon King and Shai Hope – and with plenty of assistance from England’s sloppy fielding.

Carty and King added 141 for the second wicket but the former was put down on by Duckett on one and Saqib Mahmood on 41, while Duckett also dropped King on 11 and somehow squandered a run out opportunity when both batters were stranded in the middle of the pitch in the 21st over.

The innings fell away from 205-2 when Carty fell three balls after reaching his century, with Rashid taking 4-63 and Mahmood’s three late wickets mopping up the tail.

The visitors were left to rue wasting 14 balls of their innings as the last five wickets fell for 50 runs, the lower order offering Hope little support as he was last to depart for 78 from 66 balls.

England seamers Carse and Mahmood were lively in their opening burst – the former had opener Jewel Andrew caught at cover with some unexpected bounce in the second over – only for three dropped catches to follow.

Carty continued his rich run of form with a third ODI ton in his past four matches, punishing England’s numerous errors. The first was a difficult chance which popped out of Duckett’s hand as he dived full stretch at second slip, but the next was a sitter, the batter sweeping straight to Mahmood at short fine leg off Jacob Bethell.

Duckett should also have taken his chance off King, fielding in the same position as the ball burst through his hands after a flashing drive.

The missed run-out followed before the two batters settled down, steadily taking West Indies to 146-1 at the halfway stage before King holed out to long-on off Rashid.

Carty continued to flourish, and reached his ton from 102 balls in the 35th over, combining with the ever-classy Hope to score freely as England’s seamers leaked runs from their short ball plan.

But Carty’s wild swipe off Jacks was the first of many loose shots as West Indies failed to capitalise on the platform. Shimron Hetmyer was pinned lbw to Rashid before Justin Greaves, Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie were all caught trying and failing to clear Cardiff’s short straight boundaries.

Coming to the crease after top-order failures is not unfamiliar territory for Root, who exemplified remarkable calm and assuredness from ball one.

Smith played a loose drive in the first over and was caught behind off Seales, and Duckett’s miserable day concluded with being caught at deep third off Forde in the next.

Root was able to ease in to his innings thanks to Brook’s counter-attacking approach, whacking 30 from his first 16 balls before he took on Joseph’s short ball and was caught three runs short of his half-century, and Buttler dragged onto his stumps off the same bowler two overs later.

Root was fortunate to survive an lbw shout off Forde when he was on six, given not out and the Windies’ review showing it was clipping the bails but umpire’s call.

A patient stand of 40 with Bethell followed, the youngster making 17 before he was lbw to Roston Chase to leave England teetering once more at 133-5.

But Root and Jacks consolidated by hitting the gaps smartly, the latter reining in his attacking instincts with just two boundaries struck in his first 50 balls as he allowed Root to dominate, launching a four and a six to go to his 98-ball century in style before effortlessly going up another gear.

“We fell away at the end and didn’t dominate with the bat. But we have to commend the bowlers for the fight they showed to keep us in the game until the end. “

England captain Harry Brook to BBC Test Match Special: “We probably weren’t clinical enough in the field to take those chances and we probably could’ve kept them to 250.

“Joe was unbelievable and he’s only getting better as well. He’s someone I look up to, he’s such an amazing player, such an amazing bloke and works the hardest out of anyone I’ve seen. “

Former England fast bowler Steven Finn on BBC Test Match Special: “Joe Root is just on this constant journey of ticking everything off before him and now he’s head and shoulders above the rest.

“His average is way higher than anyone else who’s played ODI cricket for England. He was so determined to be there at the end and the way he read the situation, soaked up pressure, saw people fall around him. “