The 2025 Giro d’Italia continued Saturday with stage 20 – a 205-kilometer ride through legendary terrain from Verres to Sestriere Vialattea, which was founded by the Fiat family. The penultimate stage of this year’s Giro would be contested in prime mountainous terrain and feature the much-feared Colle delle Finestre climb, which is Beyond Category and 18.4-kilometers long. The climb has an average gradient of 9.2 percent and features potentially decisive gravel sections. Stage 20 would also feature one Category 2 climb, one Category 4 climb, before concluding on the Category 3 Sestriere climb. 

With tomorrow’s final stage expected to conclude in a mass sprint in the streets of Rome, today’s stage 20 of Giro d’Italia was expected to deliver a grand finale show between the general classification favorites in the peloton, who would seize the final opportunity to advance in the classification, while fighting for a stage victory with pure climbers and breakaway experts.

Alfred Hitchcock could not have written a more exciting suspense thriller as the top of the general classification was still undecided and much could be changed on the roads of stage 20. Not least the Colle delle Finestre climb was expected to play a decisive role with its eight steep final kilometers to the summit – some of them on gravel roads that could cause mechanical issues and major time differences between the cyclists. A fabulous smorgasbord of excitement from Giro d’Italia organizer RCS Sport.

Isaac del Toro would eagerly defend his GC lead with support from UAE Team Emirates teammates such as Brandon McNulty and Rafal Majka. Second-placed Richard Carapaz, who won the 2019 Giro, was expected to send Team EF Education-EasyPost lieutenants up the road, so they could potentially function as outposts and satellites that could prove useful after an attack from Carapaz early on Colle delle Finestre. Carapaz would need an early attack to be able to crack 21-year-old del Toro, who had a 43 second advantage in the GC.

Simon Yates (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) was third in the GC before today’s stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia but had faltered and completely broken down while climbing Colle delle Finestre in stage 19 of the 2018 Giro, losing more than thirty-eight minutes in the stage and dropping from first to eighteenth in the GC. The Visma-Lease a Bike captain would be seeking revenge in today’s stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia. 

Stage 20 got off to a fast start in Verres under sunny skies and several riders from various teams were eager to engage in attacking efforts to join the long breakaway of the stage. Some riders were fighting for a stage victory, while other riders were playing a part in team tactics for their team captains, hoping to be able to function as satellites and outposts up the road in later parts of the stage.

Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Sylvain Moniquet (Cofidis Team), Dries de Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Kim Heiduk (Ineos-Grenadiers), Jacopo Mosca (Lidl-Trek), and Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal-QuickStep) formed the early breakaway group and quickly gained a lead of one minute over the peloton.

The riders passed Castello Baraing, which is strategically located on the Dora Baltea. Napoleon had the Castello Baraing destroyed in 1800, but the House of Savoy commissioned a rebuild, after which it served as a military post until 1975 before becoming an Alps Museum. 

Great fighting was also taking place on the bikes in stage 20 as additional breakaway attempts were being made from the main peloton. Mads Pedersen tried to launch Lidl-Trek teammate Carlos Verona into a breakaway. Other riders, including Manuele Tarozzi and Ethan Hayter, joined in.

The tower of the Castello di Montestrutto observed the action in the Giro race. The tower was constructed to be able to defend a Benedictine monastery and was controlled by the House of Savoy in the 14th century. The castle was damaged in the Franco-Spanish wars and was reconstructed in neogothic style. The cyclists in the two first breakaway groups of stage 20 were also eager to defend their advantage over the chasing peloton. When 175 kilometers remained, the first breakaway group was 37 seconds ahead of the Pedersen-led chase group, and 01:36 minutes ahead of the peloton.

Mads Pedersen once again showed his great power when he successfully transported teammate Carlos Verona and other group 2 participants to the front breakaway group with 170 kilometers remaining. The groups merged and Pedersen took a well-deserved rest. Further riders joined from behind - including Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) – and the breakaway now featured thirty-one riders.

The breakaway passed Rotonda Antonelliana, designed by architect Alessandro Antonelli in 1842 to erect a church like Saint Peter’s in Rome. Due to lack of funding, only the outer structure was completed. It was yet to be seen if the riders in would complete their mission in today’s Giro stage.

125 kilometers remained and EF Education-EasyPost had sent Kasper Asgreen to the front of the main peloton with clear orders to increase the speed, as the team was hoping to wear down as many UAE Team Emirates riders as possible early in the stage, so they would be unable to support their GC leader Isaac del Toro in the stage finale, thereby making it easier for EF Education’s Carapaz to gain time on del Toro. Meanwhile, the breakaway group had increased its lead to more than eight minutes.

The complete EF Education team had joined the front of the main peloton and was setting an intense speed with 115 kilometers left. 

While GC favorite Richard Carapaz was consulting his EF Education team car due to problems with his bike computer, the riders in the front group and the main peloton were approaching Colle del Lys – the Category Two climb of the stage. The climb was 13.7-kilometers long and had an average incline percentage of 4.2, but with steeper percentages in the first part. The front group had a lead of 08:30 minutes at this point.

Riders from EF Education-EasyPost continued their hard work at the front of the main peloton on Colle del Lys. The fast speed was causing several riders to get dropped at the back of the peloton group. Four kilometers of the climb remained, and the front group was now eight minutes ahead, while no GC favorites appeared to be in trouble because of the fast pace.

Five of the EF Education-EasyPost riders miscalculated the route on the descent from Colle del Lys and turned left instead of following the road by turning right. Carapaz would now have to play catch-up and spend additional energy before the most important Colle delle Finestre climb. 

The thirty-one riders in the front group entered the long false-flat valley stretch with an advantage of almost nine minutes over the chasing peloton. Seventy kilometers of the stage remained at this point.

EF Education-EasyPost returned to the front of main peloton after regrouping following the false-turn mishap on the descent and set a fast pace closely following by riders from Team PremierTech. The riders from UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike were further back.

Mads Pedersen led the front group as the riders entered the Colle delle Finestre climb with less than fifty kilometers remaining of stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia. Fourteen men remained in the front group and the action and excitement of the stage and the fight between the GC favorites, including Carapaz, Yates, and del Toro, was expected to culminate on the climb, which featured gravel sections in the final eight exhausting kilometers to the summit.

Kasper Asgreen was grinding his teeth while leading the main peloton onto Colle delle Finestre for team captain Richard Carapaz at high speed.

The road was narrow and the fight for positions was intense. The EF, PremierTech, Movistar, Ineos, and Tudor teams were competing to take the front spots in the peloton. Today was an al-in effort before tomorrow’s ride into Rome and the Vatican.

Chris Harper courageously attacked solo from the front group with more than fifteen kilometers of the tough climb remaining. Perhaps not a thought through decision from the Jayco-Alula rider. Meanwhile, EF Education were digging deep at the front of the main peloton and most riders dropped off at the rear exit.

Denmark’s Mikkel Honore launched an attack from Richard Carapaz with more than fourteen kilometers of Colle delle Finestre remaining. Carapaz then accelerated and only Isaac del Toro was able to follow. The duo pressed on, but only with a lead effort from Carapaz. What a courageous initiative from the Ecuadorian rider from EF Education-EasyPost. Isaac del Toro was now isolated and could not benefit from help from his teammates. Simon Yates later bridged the gap to Carapaz and del Toro.

Simon Yates attacked and Carapaz countered. Del Toro dropped a few bike lengths, but regained contact. Yates later attacked again and left Del Toro and Carapaz behind. Derek Gee caught del Toro and Carapaz and the trio was now chasing Simon Yates. Further up the road Alessandro Verre (Arkea B & B Hotels) and Chris Harper had formed a front breakaway duo on the climb followed by Quentin Pacher, Carlos Verona, and Gianmarco Garofoli.

With Yates up the road, Gee proved unable to remain in front of the chase trio, so Carapaz attacked and opened a gap to del Toro. Del Toro later caught Carapaz, and the duo was closing in on Yates.

Front duo Verre-Harper was approaching the gravel sections of the climb with eight kilometers remaining of Colle delle Finestre. 

Carapaz slowed down on the climb and handed the initative to del Toro, who would lose his general classification lead if he let Simon Yates continue expanding his advantage further up the road. Del Toro didn’t respond and Carapaz reacted when Yates was forty seconds ahead of them.

Simon Yates reached the gravel part of Colle delle Finestre and now had eight kilometers of gravel to explore before the summit. Derek Gee caught Carapaz and del Toro, and the trio entered the gravel roads with Yates more than one minute ahead.

Harper left Verre behind on the climb and was now solo in front. Meanwhile, Simon Yates was increasing his lead to the Carapaz group, and he was now the virtual leader of the Giro as del Toro had lost too much time on the climb. Del Toro responded by moving to the front of the group and was now pulling Carapaz and Gee in defense of his pink leader jersey. Derek Gee decided to help del Toro by leading the trio. Thereby del Toro would save valuable energy.

Three kilometers of Colle del Finestre remained, and Gee was still pulling del Toro and Carapaz up the climb. A group featuring del Toro teammates Adam Yates, Rafal Majka and Brandon McNulty was approaching the trio from behind. The gravel sections had not caused any mechanical issues for the GC favorites this far.

Carapaz attacked with 1.5 kilometers of the climb left and del Toro responded. It was now Carapaz vs. del Toro, but with Simon Yates almost two minutes up the road and in the virtual race lead.

Chris Harper was the first rider to reach the summit of Colle delle Finestre. Verre was next.

Simon Yates was delivering a prime solo performance and did his outmost to maintain a large advantage to Carapaz and del Toro. Yates crossed the summit line with a significant time advantage to Carapaz and del Toro.

Wout van Aert waited for Yates up the road and the duo pressed on to preserve Yates’ advantage on the dangerous and winding descent. Further back, del Toro wanted Carapaz to take the lead on the descent, but Carapaz refused. Ecuadorian Carapaz would not be working for Mexican del Toro. It was del Toro’s own task to save his general classification lead in the 2025 Giro d’Italia in today’s penultimate stage 20.

Van Aert was excellent when it came to the downhill discipline and the Dutch rider helped Yates extend his lead on the descent. Del Toro appeared to lack the needed courage to even attempt to regain and preserve his general classification lead. The missing courage in del Toro now cost Carapaz his second place in the GC. It was disappointing to see a UAE Team Emirates rider race with such unprofessionalism and not even try to preserve his GC lead in a Grand Tour. How would the Italians and race organizer RCS Sport react to this disrespect?

It was game over for del Toro and UAE Team Emirates and the team was now missing out on a Grand Tour victory and didn’t even attempt to repair the damage or preserve any respect for the race. Mexico City was rumored to be filled with festivities as they expected a win for del Toro – those festivities would now be cancelled.

Chris Harper was the first rider to enter Sestriere climb to the finish line. The Australian rider had a lead of almost two minutes over Alessandro Verre. Simon Yates left van Aert and Carlos Verona behind and was now chasing Harper and Verre, while increasing his advantage over a large group, which featured del Toro and Carapaz. 

Chris Harper crossed the finish line in Sestriere as winner of stage 20 of the Giro for Team Jayco-Alula. Alessandro Verre finished second for Arkea – B & B Hotels. 

Simon Yates was the first general classification favorite to reach the finish line. The rider from Great Britain was the third rider to reach the summit after a very impressive solo ride following a courageous attack on Colle delle Finestre, before being assisted by Wout van Aert on the descent. What a proud moment for Great Britain and the Visma-Lease a Bike team.

Gianmarco Garofoli and Remy Rochas finished fourth and fifth, while del Toro, Carapaz and other GC favorites were yet to reach the finish line. Perhaps symbolically, it had started raining as del Toro approached the finish line. Del Toro accelerated shortly before the finish line and reached the finish line before Carapaz.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) is no longer leader of the general classification in the 2025 Giro d’Italia following stage 20. Simon Yates is the new man in the pink jersey as leader of Giro d’Italia for Team Visma-Lease a Bike. Yates is 03:56 minutes ahead of del Toro. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) dropped to third place in the GC after letting Simon Yates escape up the road, while expecting del Toro to deliver the necessary work to defend his GC lead on the climb. Carapaz is 04:43 minutes behind GC leader Yates. Derek Gee is fourth in the GC, Damiano Caruso is fifth for Bahrain-Victorious, while Giulio Pellizzari is sixth for Team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

The 2025 Giro d’Italia will conclude Sunday with stage 21 – a 143-kilometer flat parade stage from Rome to Rome, which will take the riders through the Vatican, where they will meet the Pope before the stage culminates in a mass sprint.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete news and coverage from Giro d’Italia 2025.