Simone Yates, the man who touched the sky on the mountain where he had suffered the most

BarcelonaSimon Yates's victory in the Giro d'Italia could be presented as proof that justice exists. Deep down, we all know that bonuses don't always win and that we don't always get second chances, but in the case of the British cyclist, that wasn't the case. His victory was forged in the penultimate stage, on one of the toughest climbs in the Alps, the one in which seven years earlier Yates himself had suffered one of the toughest defeats of his career. Magnificent. It's true that Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, the great dominators of cycling at the moment, were not there, but the great Italian race—the one born more than a century ago in the pink pages of the Sports Gazette– has thrilled with the great debut of the young Mexican Isaac del Toro (UAETeam), who at just 21 years old, led the classification for almost the entire race, and has stood up to first Juan Ayuso - who ended up retiring - and then the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (he leaves on Saturday when he no longer does, with Yates). The last day was almost a tourist stage in Rome, passing by the Vatican, just as the late Pope Francis had wanted.

And all thanks to Saturday's stage, a stage to remember, one that excites. Cycling, although it's often marred by the desire to be stronger and faster, is a sport with a great capacity for creating surprising stories. Few screenwriters can compete with a sport in which a man begins surrounded by people, only to end up alone at some point, fighting against rivals, against himself, and against nature. A sport of Homeric tales, in which athletes like Yates can achieve redemption seven years after having ended broken, on the same stage.

In 2018, Simon Yates dominated the Giro d'Italia with an overwhelming dominance that seemed to announce his victory, but on the stage that included the climb of the fearsome Col di Finestre, a mountain pass in the Aosta Valley where the finish is on the ground with its savage gradient, he went down its wild slope; Froome, who overtook him with a great display. But seven years later, fate has poetically given Yates a second chance, since the organizers had scheduled a penultimate stage with a climb to the Col di Finestre. Seven years later, Yates got his revenge on the toughest climb of the race, breaking the record for the ascent of the summit with a time of 59'23 after a determined attack that left Del Toro and Carapaz without a response, who ended up exchanging reproaches at the end of the race. The Ecuadorian accused the young Mexican of losing the Giro because he hadn't read the race properly by not following Yates, and Del Toro defended himself by saying that Carapaz himself had a chance in the general classification. And he didn't follow him either. They couldn't or didn't know how to do it, and the party ended up being English. "This is the cruel part of cycling, but I'm very happy to finish second. This week I've shown that I can compete for the overall victory. I've surprised a lot of people in that sense," said the Mexican, who would explain that Richard was second in the classification, so he thought it was logical that he started behind Yates. "I wanted to follow Carapaz. If he attacked, I could lose first place, but not second," justified a man who has introduced himself to top-level cycling during this Giro.

From Bury to Rome

Simon Yates, imperial in that final mountain stage and aided by the always spectacular Wout van Aert, was able to enter Rome victorious, an honor reserved for a few. "When I saw the course, I had in mind to try something. It's still special to know that I was able to do it," explained the Bury-born cyclist, who has managed to earn a decent record in an era in which he has had to compete against giants.

Yates began cycling, as it was the sport his father loved. Both he and his twin brother Adam, who has also shone professionally, began going to the Manchester Velodrome when they accompanied their father, John, who was recovering there after being hit while pedaling. And so they ended up making the jump to road cycling to become part of a golden generation of British cycling with names like Chris Froome, with whom he would share a room and adventures, such as that defeat in 2018. Seven years later, the winner is Yates.