Sawt Falasteen - Simon Yates overcomes doubts to secure his first Giro d'Italia triumph

Briton Yates effectively secured his second Grand Tour triumph on Saturday when he took the leader's pink jersey from Isaac del Toro with an epic effort in the Italian Alps.

Yates, a 32-year-old who rides for Visma-Lease a bike, is the first man to win the Giro without taking a single stage since Alberto Contador 10 years ago.

Yates came out on top in a Giro missing last year's winner Tadej Pogacar and Yates' teammate Jonas Vingegaard and blown wide open by the retirements of pre-race favourites Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso.

The win also validates Yates' pre-season decision to move to cycling giants Visma after 10 years with the same Australian team, now called Jayco-AlUla.

"I wanted to come to a team that knew how to win the Grand Tours. They have done it successfully with different riders and it's looking like it paid off," said Yates.

"All of us have doubts if we are doing the right thing or on the right path. I've also had a lot of setbacks, not just here at the Giro but at other races as well where I've thought maybe it's time to stop and do something else.

"I had no bad luck this year, which is what I had in the past."

Kooij won the bunch sprint which has become a feature of the finales in Rome, pipping Kaden Groves, Matteo Moschetti and Mads Pedersen to claim his second win of this year's hugely entertaining three-week race around Italy.

- Perfect finale -

It was a perfect day for Visma with Yates and Kooij both victorious in the Eternal City.

"We couldn't wish for a better final weekend. Yesterday was really amazing for the team and today I just had to give everything that was still left in the legs. The team made it a lot easier. I just had to push it until the line," said Kooij.

"With sprints it's never easy to do it like perfectly, but today we really committed, we just went all in, we were in perfect position and just happy to make it to the line.

"I was really happy with this Giro, making it ot Rome and then winning here it's really special."

Yates started the day stood alongside Pope Leo XIV who blessed the peloton in a short stop in Vatican City before the race proper started.

The riders dismounted in front of the pontiff and Yates shook the pope's hand before standing alongside points jersey winner Pederson, king of the mountains Lorenzo Fortunato and Del Toro for a pre-race blessing.

"For some reason I didn't realise we were going to stop. Immediately I thought we just passed through. An unforgettable moment for me and, I think, for all the riders," said Yates.

Del Toro had to content himself with the white jersey for best young rider after failing to spot the danger in Yates' attack on the Colle delle Finestre climb on Saturday which ended up deciding the title.

Yates could still be on a high from his Giro win when he lines up alongside Vingegaard at the upcoming Tour de France which starts on July 5.

H.Nasr--SF-PST