Yates’s biggest support in the toughest days of this Giro was Wout van Aert, a rider of almost superhuman quality who turned himself inside out in the hope of overturning the Briton’s deficit.

Simon Yates is not one to show much emotion. Both he and his twin brother Adam, a fellow pro rider, are famously, determinedly dour. But as the ticker tape flew in Rome on Sunday evening, and ...

At the summit, Harper went over the top with Verre at 1:38, Yates at 4:43, and Del Toro and Carapaz passing over at 6:23. Gee was a further minute back and the Giro still hanging in the balance.

Yates and his twin brother, Adam, have long been among the peloton’s elite. Adam Yates rode this Giro for UAE Team Emirates as a support rider for Del Toro — so was competing against his brother.

Yates wore pink for 13 days during the 2018 Giro before cracking on one of the final climbs. He also had to withdraw from the Italian race in 2020 and 2022 — because of coronavirus and a knee ...