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Saturday, May 31, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I've heard 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' read, and I tell you Mrs. Stowe's pen hasn't begun to paint what slavery is as I have seen it at the far South. I've seen de real thing, and I don't want to see it on no stage or in no theater. - Harriet Tubman
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
- May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
Upcoming racing:
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 18: Rund um Köln
- May 13: Classique Dunkerque
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 10: GP du Morbihan
- May 9: Tour du Finistère
- April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
- April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
We posted the report from GC leader Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates-XRG with the results.
Here's the Giro report from third-place Richard Carapaz's Team EF Education-EasyPost:
Richard Carapaz put in another outstanding performance at the Giro d’Italia on stage 19. The EF Education-EasyPost leader attacked twice during the race’s toughest day in the mountains so far, first with 21.3km to go and then again with 6.8km remaining.
Richie’s second move off the front of the maglia rosa group could only be matched by race leader Isaac Del Toro as the rest of the GC favorites looked to limit their losses.
At the finish in Champoluc, Riche took a well-deserved third place, a result that saw him maintain and even extend his position in the overall standings. He now sits 43 seconds off the race lead, with third-placed rider Simon Yates losing almost half a minute to the EF Education-EasyPost leader.
Richard Carapaz finishes third behind second-place Isaac del Toro. Sirotti photo
“I think we all were quite on the limit, but I still wanted to give it a go and try, and I think it was a pretty good stage,” Richie said at the finish.
“I left some guys behind on the GC, arriving with Del Toro, and I’m happy about that. We kept it fast at the top,” he added.
With one stage in the high mountains remaining, courtesy of the high altitude finish at Sestrière, the battle for the 2025 Giro d’Italia remains on a knife-edge, with Richie still in the hunt for his second overall title.
Stage 19 began at a relentless pace with EF Education-EasyPost able to send both Darren Rafferty and Georg Steinhauser in the breakaway. Both riders contributed to the pace setting as the rest of the team rallied around Richie over the first few climbs.
The team set the pace at various points on the Col Saint-Pantaléon, with Steinhauser putting in another Herculean effort at the front of the maglia rosa group once he was caught on the Col de Joux, before Richie made a tentative attack to test his key rivals.
Despite not having the double-digit gradients that Richie thrives on, the final ascent of Antagnod saw Richie attack for a second time, and this time he was able to break free with only the race leader able to follow. The pair shared the pace to the line before Richie came home in third, with everything still to play for on Saturday’s final mountain stage.
Sports director, Juanma Gárate, gave his view on tomorrow’s key stage.
“Tomorrow we expect a lot of heat, as it was today, which affected a lot of riders. The Colle delle Finestre is a climb that feels eternal, endless. Never ends. Everything can happen, it’s true that after that, you still need to get to Sestriere, and even if the wind is favorable tomorrow, it takes a lot to get there. I did it in 2005, and it’s pretty hard,” he said.
Juanma is confident that Richie is heading into the stage with the best form he’s had since pulling on an EF Education-EasyPost jersey.
“Richie is really good, he has done so much work, to adapt to the riders and the team, and so did the team with him. Now he is in his best moment since he joined our team and he already had a good moment going into and during the Vuelta last year, but now he is more solid, he is the Richard Carapaz we all know, the one who can dispute the Grand Tours. Now he is in a good moment,” Juanma said.
Fourth-place Damiano Caruso's Team Bahrain Victorious posted this Giro report:
The 19th race day of the year’s first Grand Tour was a brutal test of strength and endurance over five climbs from Biella to Champoluc. Contained within the 166km was 4,950m of altitude gain, which all had to be conquered in immensely hot conditions.
Afonso Eulalio suffered in the middle part of the race, and had to withdraw, but by then Pello Bilbao and Antonio Tiberi were making the pace in the breakaway. The front group had taken a while to form, but once it did, Bahrain were in the thick of the action. Bilbao looked back to his best, raring to go and eager to take on whatever challenge presented itself. Tiberi kept a lower profile, stalking and probing, waiting for the right moment.
With two thirds of the stage run, Pello dropped back, and Antonio attacked in a group of seven, which was whittled down until just three remained. Behind, the peloton upped their tempo, victory was in the balance between the pink jersey group which included Damiano Caruso, and those up ahead.
Fourth-place Damiano Caruso leads a group across the finish line. Sirotti photo
A brave attack from Nicolas Prudhomme (Decathlon AG2R) stuck, and it was an impressive victory for the Frenchman, who won with a minute to spare over the top two GC riders Isaac del Toro (UAE) & Richard Carapaz (EF) who had jumped off the front of the favourites group.
Tiberi, having given his all out front under the sun since early, had fallen back to support his compatriot, and – despite riding with pain from last week’s crash – did an extraordinary job. He helped the Sicilian cross the line ahead of his closest rivals.
The 37 year old has just extended his contract with the team for another year, and proved again that he still has what it takes to compete at the very top level.
“I felt really good right from the start of the stage,” said the 37 year old afterwards. “It was a very tough stage, at very high speed. We managed the various phases of the race perfectly. In the final Antonio was decisive in positioning me for the last climb and the finish. We reached our goal that was not to lose time in GC. I feel sorry for Antonio because he lost chance to try to win the stage but there is still tomorrow. The Giro is not over yet.”
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Here's the Giro report from sixth-place Egan Bernal's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Egan Bernal put in a strong climbing performance in the mountains of stage 19 at the Giro d'Italia - retaining sixth place overall.
The Colombian champion worked hard to remain within a select general classification group across one of the toughest parcours of the race.
Sixth place at the line and fifth from the GC group was enough to ensure Bernal retained his overall position heading into Saturday's final mountain showdown.
Egan Bernal finishes sixth. Sirotti photo
With Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) taking a solo victory from the breakaway out front, Bernal finished in a group 24 seconds back on leader Issac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost).
Bernal now sits 5:13 back on the lead, but with all still to be decided in the top positions.
Jonathan Castroviejo played a superb supporting role to his teammate in the mountains, on a day which included passages over the Col Saint-Pantaleon and Col de Joux.
Reaction:
Egan Bernal: "My tactic was to survive. It was a super hard stage and it will accumulate a lot of fatigue for tomorrow.
"I don't know what will happen tomorrow but for sure the strongest will win."
Seventh-place Simon Yates' Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Giro report:
Simon Yates finished seventh in the grueling 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia. The 32-year-old Brit crossed the finish line half a minute behind overall leader Isaac Del Toro and Richard Carapaz. The stage victory went to Nicolas Prodhomme.
Stage 19 of this year’s Giro ran between Biella and Champoluc. Over the course of the 166-kilometer stage, riders faced four categorised climbs, totaling nearly 5000 metres of elevation.
Following the start, a fierce battle unfolded for a spot in the early breakaway. Eventually, four riders - including Bart Lemmen - managed to establish a lead. They were later joined by a larger chase group that included Edoardo Affini and Wout van Aert. The large front group gradually thinned out as the stage progressed.
On the penultimate climb of the day, the Col de Joux, Lemmen had to drop from the front. However, the Dutchman still proved valuable in the group of favourites, where he briefly led the pace in support of his teammate Yates. The Brit, riding for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, reacted sharply to an attack from Carapaz on the Col de Joux. The GC contenders reached the foot of the final climb to Antagnod together. Prodhomme’s stage win remained uncontested.
Simon Yates finishes stage 17. Sirotti photo
On the climb to Antagnod, Carapaz launched another acceleration, bringing overall leader Del Toro with him. The pair rode together toward the finish in Champoluc. The chasing group, including Yates, crossed the line 24 seconds after the South American duo. In the general classification, Yates remains in third place, now trailing Del Toro by 1’21” and Carapaz by 38”.
“We rode strongly as a team,” reflected sports director Marc Reef. “Simon looked good along the way, but in the end, he had to concede half a minute on the final climb. Tomorrow brings another tough challenge, including the steep Colle delle Finestre. There’s still a lot to play for. We’re looking forward to that decisive stage and we will go all out for the best possible result.”
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Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Giro report:
The penultimate mountain stage of the Corsa Rosa took the peloton over five classified climbs – Croce Serra, Col Tzecore, Col Saint-Pantaleon, Col de Joux and Antagnod – for a total of 5000 vertical meters that poured lead into the riders’ legs, but contrary to expectations, didn’t deliver too many significant changes to the general classification.
The 19th stage with 100 kilometers to go. RCS photo
Another sizable breakaway formed after a furious start, and for the third consecutive day, Soudal Quick-Step’s Mattia Cattaneo was there, resisting at the front until the early slopes of the fourth ascent. From the leading group, a selection was made and Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon-AG2R) attacked and opened a gap that he carried all the way to the finish of stage 19.
In the general classification, James Knox cemented his place in the top 20 ahead of Saturday’s gruelling stage that will see the race return on the unsurfaced double-digit gradients of Colle delle Finestre, a climb that at its previous appearances always has played an important role in the outcome.
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And here's the Giro report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
Just like on Tuesday on stage 16, David Gaudu and Lorenzo Germani entered together in the breakaway this Friday on stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, which included nearly 5,000 metres of elevation gain. However, towards Champoluc, in the Aosta Valley, the two men didn’t have the legs to fight for victory. Two stages remained to be done: Sestriere tomorrow and Rome on Sunday.
It was finally time to tackle what, on paper, seemed to be the heaviest stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia. Despite “barely” 166 kilometres between Biella and Champoluc, stage 19 appeared to some as the “queen stage” of the Corsa Rosa, because of a staggering 4,950 metres of elevation gain. Five classified climbs, including three of first category, followed one another in this penultimate day of racing in Italy. The first one, located after four kilometres, didn’t prove enough to establish a breakaway, and the situation ultimately settled after one hour of intense battle.
“The goal was to fight and try, even if the stage was obviously difficult on paper,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “We saw almost all the boys going for it at the start, then a large group broke away in two stages: the first move with Lorenzo, the second with David.” Three days after having taken the lead together towards Brentonico, the Italian and the Frenchman entered a breakaway of thirty-three riders who gained a three-minute gap on the peloton. On the day’s first 1st-category climb, the Col Tzecore (15.8 km at 7.7%), the leading group got reduced to some twenty men.
Stage 19 gets rolling.
The Groupama-FDJ riders were still able to keep up the pace at that point, but when the attacks started on the Col Saint-Pantaléon (16.5 km at 7.2%), with seventy kilometres to go, David Gaudu had to let go, while Lorenzo Germani kept on fighting until halfway through the climb. “In the third week, the legs and the freshness make the decision,” Stéphane said. “We always want more, but we also have to be aware of our current strength and accept it. We’re where we belong today, even if the raw value of a guy like David is obviously much higher. In any case, the spirit and commitment were again the right ones.”
Lorenzo Germani eventually reached the finish line in thirty-first place on Friday. “There are two stages left, because we don’t overlook Rome, to achieve something nice,” concluded Stéphane. “It was very hot again today and it obviously took its toll on the riders, but it’s the same for everyone. I hope the guys will recover enough to go for it again tomorrow on the last mountain stage of this Giro. We must continue to fight mentally, physically and collectively.” On Saturday, the peloton will head towards the iconic Colle delle Finestre, which will come after 160 way less challenging kilometres.
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