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Monday June 2, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

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Giro d'Italia stage 21 team reports

We posted the report from GC winner Simon Yates' Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.

Here are four reports. We'll post more tomorrow.

Here's the Giro report from GC second-place Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Crossing the finish line in Rome amongst the peloton, Isaac del Toro brought the 2025 Giro d’Italia to a historic close for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. In placing second overall on his Giro debut, the Mexican becomes the second-youngest podium finisher in race history and the first from his country to ever win the young rider’s classification.

In fact, Del Toro is the first Mexican to ever wear the Maglia Bianca, adding this to a long list of accomplishments he has achieved over the last three weeks. It has been a stellar race for both the 21-year-old and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates, all of whom took to the podium in Rome to celebrate winning the team classification.

Isaac del Toro in white at the end of the Giro. Sirotti photo

The Emirati squad end the first Grand Tour of the season with two memorable stage victories, taken by Juan Ayuso and Del Toro. The first, won by Ayuso on stage 7, saw the Spaniard triumph on the race’s first summit finish, with his Mexican teammate crossing the line in second. It was a maiden Grand Tour stage victory for Ayuso, with Del Toro following suit in the third week.

Before Del Toro sealed his own stage win, however, there was plenty of racing to be done, including the Strade Bianche-esque day on stage 9. Over the white gravel roads of Tuscany, the 21-year-old went above and beyond to finish second on the day, propelling himself into the Maglia Rosa as the leader of the Giro d’Italia. It was a lead that he would not give up without a fight.

Through the next 11 days of racing, Del Toro came of age on the grandest stage, riding with a maturity beyond his years to have Mexico dreaming of its first Grand Tour success. Along the way, the 21-year-old’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates rallied around the youngster and left every ounce of energy on the road to Rome.

Stage 17 brought perhaps the race highlight for the Emirati squad, as Del Toro produced a scintillating performance to ride clear of his rivals and take the stage victory in Bormio. It was the first time that a Mexican had won a Giro d’Italia stage in 23 years, and for the man known as El Torito, it was a first Grand Tour stage win of his fledgling career. This victory, earned in the iconic Maglia Rosa, will be long remembered.

Although Saturday’s stage 20 ultimately ended with Del Toro being dispossessed of his race lead at the last opportunity, by the eventual Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike), it also brought another slice of history for the rider who has come to define the 2025 Giro.

In surpassing Fausto Coppi’s record from the 1940 Giro d’Italia, Del Toro became the youngest rider in history to wear the Maglia Rosa for 11 consecutive stages. There is perhaps no greater mark of the scale of Del Toro’s accomplishments in this Giro d’Italia.

Ending the race with Del Toro on the podium, Brandon McNulty in 9th, victory in the team classification and a credible 7th place for Filippo Baroncini on stage 21, UAE Team Emirates-XRG can be proud of everything it has achieved between the Grande Partenza in Albania and Sunday’s final stage in Rome.

None of it would have been possible without our staff, our partners and our riders – Isaac del Toro, Brandon McNulty, Adam Yates, Rafał Majka, Igor Arrieta, Filippio Baroncini, Juan Ayuso and Jay Vine.

For Del Toro and Mexican cycling, this is just the start.

Del Toro: “It is such an incredible feeling to be in this position. It is a surprise for a lot of people and it is incredible to prove to myself that I can do it and that I am able to do it.

“The team was always there, the guys were always there to support me because they see something in me. Thanks to the guys, I am in this position, and I cannot be more proud and happy about this.

“For sure, it is not nice to lose the [pink] jersey, but I need to be mature with this and I need to take this to be hungry in the future. Sometimes the guy who makes fewer mistakes is who wins, and for sure, I will come back stronger.

“I will remember this Giro d’Italia as proof to myself that I can do big things, if I work enough to do it. Of course, it will be harder every day but I will try to enjoy it as well, and always be there. I just need to enjoy it and keep on working as hard as I can.”

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Here's the Giro report King of the Mountains Lorenzo Fortunato's Team XDS Astana:

Today in Rome, the 108th edition of the Grand Tour Giro d’Italia came to an end. It was a successful race for XDS Astana Team: Lorenzo Fortunato claimed the King of the Mountains title and stepped onto the podium in the blue jersey (Maglia Azzurra). His teammate Christian Scaroni finished second in the mountain classification.

Lorenzo Fortunato in Blue at the end of the Giro. Sirotti photoi

“I dedicate this Maglia Azzurra, this victory in the mountain classification, to my family, to my wife who is always by my side, supporting me through the toughest times and moments of joy. This victory is also for my team, which has given me incredible support throughout the season. I want to thank the whole team – my teammates, fellow riders, and all the staff – for these past three weeks. After I took the jersey following Stage 3, the thought came to me – why not fight for the mountain classification? Of course, this required huge support from the whole squad, and every day we had to give 100%, because in Grand Tours everything can change in just one day. Every day, I and all the guys gave it our all, and in the end, it worked out – today, I’m on the podium in Rome wearing the blue jersey! What could be better?” – said Lorenzo Fortunato, who also was awarded as the most combative rider of the Giro d’Italia.

XDS Astana Team also made headlines with a brilliant 1–2 finish on Stage 16 of the Giro: this time, Christian Scaronitook the win, with Lorenzo Fortunato in second place.

In addition to these successes, XDS Astana Team riders claimed two more podium finishes and achieved nine Top-10 stage results throughout the race.


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The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.1 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store

Here's the Giro report from Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Egan Bernal safely crossed the finish line in Rome on the final stage of the Giro d’Italia to claim seventh overall, just over three years after his life-threatening crash.

Despite a number of crashes across the three weeks, Bernal showed his tenacity to comeback as a real Grand Tour contender for the first time since his almost career-ending crash in 2022.

A third place on stage seven and multiple top-10 stage finishes saw Bernal return to his familiar ways on the road, with sensational attacks and incredible spirit to fight back in the mountains.

Winner of stage two, and second on stage 10, it was a fantastic Grand Tour debut for Josh Tarling. The young rider was a force to be reckoned with on his time-trial bike, but also was a strong domestique, setting blistering paces on the front of the peloton for the team, before an unfortunate crash on stage 16 ended his Giro d’Italia.

Josh Tarling on his way to winning stage two. Sirotti photo

Tarling’s vlogging partner, Ben Turner, also had a successful Giro debut, sprinting to third on stage 12. His fourth Grand Tour, Turner was also a familiar face on the front of the peloton, notably pulling turns in the flat and punchy moments.
Brandon Rivera demonstrated fantastic all-round ability, proving himself on the climbs, but also at the pointy ends of the race, claiming a fourth and eighth place on two sprint stages. The highlight of Rivera’s performance came on the gravel stage nine, leading his compatriot Bernal in the break with Wout van Aert (Visma - Lease A Bike) and the maglia rosa at the time, Isaac Del Toro (UAE - Emirates XRG). Always the life and soul of the peloton and the party, Rivera was missed after falling ill before stage 14.

Thymen Arensman was also in the running on the GC, getting inside the top-10, and riding strongly to eighth place on the ninth stage, before an unfortunate crash on stage 16 hampered his performance. The Dutch rider continued to battle throughout the rest of the Grand Tour, switching to more of a domestique role and working hard to position Bernal well.

Having announced his retirement just under a week ago, Jonathan Castroviejo showed his experience during his final Giro d'Italia. The Spanish rider was a huge support in the mountains and on the flats, regularly pulling big turns to ensure the team was in the best position.

Kim Heiduk’s first Giro d’Italia proved a successful one. Acting as a satellite rider on multiple stages, Heiduk was exciting to watch in the early breaks, while he also took his domestique duties seriously, even gifting Bernal his bike on stage three.

Lucas Hamilton did much of the often thankless work this Giro. Setting the pace, carrying bottles, positioning Bernal and Arensman, and also overcoming a nasty crash on stage nine, Hamilton battled through it all and was a key team player.
Egan Bernal: “Being back in the GC mix is very exciting and marks a great step forward for the future. I hope I will contend for a Grand Tour victory again in the future. I wake up everyday thinking of that. If you want to reach the moon, you have to shoot for the stars.”


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And here's the Giro report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Josef Cerny left a solid impression on the last stage of the season’s first Grand Tour after going in the breakaway on the flat circuit through the historic center of Rome and surviving at the front of the race until the closing six kilometers, when only a huge effort of the peloton reeled him in.

The 32-year-old Czech, who was riding the Corsa Rosa for the fourth time in his career, attacked more than 70 kilometers from the finish together with five riders, and despite the fact their gap didn’t go north of 30 seconds at any point during the stage, they made the chasers work hard in order to reduce that margin. In the last ten kilometers, Cerny launched a fierce acceleration, dropping his companions and continuing alone, a brave ride that came to an end only after the many sprinters’ teams joined forces in the final two laps.

“Knowing that everybody was tired after what has been a hard Giro, I said to myself that I should try something, especially as I had nothing to lose. In the breakaway, we worked well together and left it all out there, but it was difficult with all those teams chasing us. In the final, I still had something left and emptied myself, but the peloton was stronger and eventually came back, and that was that. It was a tough race, but I am content with concluding it like this”, said Josef after the race.\

The Giro visits the Vatican. RCS photo

The stage, which got underway from Vatican City – where Pope Leo XlV greeted the riders before the official start was given – ended in a mass gallop, and Luke Lamperti was in the mix for Soudal Quick-Step, taking a solid fifth place. It was the 22-year-old’s best result in two Grand Tour participations and our team’s ninth top-ten finish at this 108th edition of the Giro d’Italia.

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