The 2025 Giro d’Italia concluded Sunday with stage 21 – a 143-kilometer flat parade stage from Rome to Rome, which was expected to culminate in a mass sprint finish, before celebrating the winner of the 2025 Giro: Simon Yates of Great Britain and Team Visma-Lease a Bike, in addition to fellow podium finishers Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates), and Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost.

The stage would include three kilometers of racing in the streets of the Vatican, in honor of the late Pope Francis, who came up with the idea of including the Vatican streets as part of the Giro d’Italia and took a great interest in cycling and soccer, having been gifted bikes from famous cyclists, including Peter Sagan, though he recommended priests and nones use less advanced bicycles for transportation purposes.

The travel through the Vatican State would be a symbolic journey. The cyclists would travel along Via Mariana, a path in the Vatican Gardens, which is adorned with images of the Virgin Mary from around the world, which renders the stage 21 ride a journey across the globe. The cyclists in the Giro would also greet the present Pope Leo and receive his blessings, before continuing their journey towards the conclusion of the first Grand Tour of the 2025 professional cycling season.

Favorites to take the victory in the final stage of this year’s Giro were the pure sprinters, including Kayden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), and points classification winner Mads Pedersen, who had not only won four stages, but also gained many Italian fans after unselfishly working loyally for Italian Lidl-Trek teammate Giulio Ciccone until his Giro exit after a serious crash.

The riders arrived tired at the start line of stage 21 of Giro d’Italia 2025 in Rome as they had undertaken a long travel by plane overnight from the finish location of yesterday’s stage and to the airport in Rome.

Stage 21 got off to a relaxed start, as the riders enjoyed having reached the race finale after three hard weeks in the saddle, while approaching the Vatican kilometers. The Visma-Lease a Bike riders were wearing specially made black and pink team jerseys to celebrate the GC victory of Simon Yates. The riders were racing at a slow pace while chatting under the tall umbrella pine trees – symbols of eternal life - and passing prime examples of Roman architecture, including the Pantheon.

The riders entered the Vatican and paused to greet Pope Leo and receive his blessings. Pope Leo told the Giro cyclists they would always be welcome in the Vatican – though as a preacher of peace, perhaps some teams were more welcome than others during today’s significant event. Beyond the classification leaders, Nairo Quintana also took the opportunity to shake hands with Pope Leo and the Movistar rider appeared deeply honored. The riders then proceeded along the Via Mariana in the Vatican Gardens, before exiting the Vatican and returning to Rome.

The riders continued the relaxed part of stage 21 riding under umbrella pine trees and along Nerium oleander hedges, while toasting in Italian sparkling wine and laughing and taking. The speed of the stage would be increased later, but for now the stage was dominated by peace and quiet. GC winner Simon Yates was smiling and laughing on his pink Cervelo bike.

The riders proceeded along the route to the Zodiac Fountain on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. After reaching the seashore, the riders would turn around and head back towards Rome for the finish of stage 21. The beach was covered in light-blue parasols, though they ought to have been colored pink for the occasion. 

The Visma-Lease a Bike team was leading the Giro peloton as it approached Rome, where a circuit would have to be contested eight times before a winner of stage 21 would be found and general classification winner Simon Yates would be crowned. Yates had won the general classification without securing any stage win in the race.

The riders passed the Colosseum as they entered central Rome. Eighty kilometers of the stage remained. The riders crossed the finish line for the first time and entered the circuit. The meters leading up to the finish line were slightly uphill.

The first attacks were launched from the peloton. Michael Hepburn was one of the first riders to show initiative during the stage. He was joined by Alessandro Verre, Enzo Paleni, Josef Cerny, Andrea Pietrobon, and Martin Marcellusi. The breakaway group had a small lead of sixteen seconds when sixty-eight kilometers remained.

Team Picnic-PostNL moved to the front of the peloton to keep the attacking group under control. They had increased their advantage to twenty seconds with sixty kilometers left of the final racing of this year’s Giro.

Visma-Lease a Bike riders moved to the front of the peloton group to fly their special pink and black team colors in the roads of Rome, while chasing the front group. The riders passed Fontana di Trevi, which is the largest of the famous fountains of Rome and designed by Nicola Salvi. It was inaugurated in 1762 and featured in the movie La Dolce Vita starring Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimee, and Marcello Mastroianni. Anita Ekberg swam in the fountain in the movie – a scene that was later condemned by the Catholic Church while awarded at the Cannes film festival.

Five circuit laps remained, and the front group passed the Altare della Patria – dedicated to the Italian nation – with a lead of twenty-three seconds.

Three laps remained when twenty-eight kilometers remained. At this point in the stage, the front group had increased its lead to half a minute. The Visma-Lease a Bike riders left the front of the main peloton and other teams took control to protect the interests of their sprinters, who wanted the stage to conclude in a mass sprint.

The riders in the front group crossed the Tiber River and entered the final two laps with a lead of just ten seconds while nineteen kilometers remained before the climax of the stage and the conclusion of the Giro. Only Cerny, Paleni, and Verre remained part of the breakaway at this point.

Paleni and Cerny approached the final lap in front of the main peloton, which was now ten seconds behind. Many teams were eagerly fighting for positions at the front of the main peloton as just ten kilometers remained, and this was the final opportunity to achieve stage win success in this year’s Giro d’Italia.

Josef Cerny (Soudal-QuickStep) left Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) behind and carried on in solo manner, but the main peloton was very close and hungry like the wolf of Rome for a memorable stage victory.

The peloton reeled in Cerny, and the sprinter teams started gearing up their sprint trains for the much-anticipated mass sprint finish of stage 21 in the streets of Rome. Many teams were present in front on the wide roads. 

Team Visma-Lease a Bike riders led the peloton into the final kilometer for Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert. Mads Pedersen was close behind as was Kayden Groves.

Wout van Aert started his sprint and delivered Olav Kooij. Kaden Groves and Mads Pedersen accelerated but were unable to pass the other sprinters before the line.

Olav Kooij won the mass sprint across the finish line of stage 21 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia in Rome and would be proud as a Pope when he entered the podium and at the celebrations to follow in the evening. Kaden Groves finished the stage in second place, while Matteo Moschetti completed the stage podium. Mads Pedersen finished fourth.

“I had to give everything that was left in my legs, and the team did their best to make it possible for me to be first across the finish line,” Kooij told Roadcycling.com shortly after the finish. 

“The guys went all-in, and we were in perfect position in the final part of the stage. Winning here in Rome is really special and today is a special day for our whole Visma team because of Simon’s GC win,” Kooij explained.

Simon Yates has won the general classification of Giro d’Italia 2025 in 82:31:01 ahead of Isaac del Toro, who finished 03:56 minutes behind, and Richard Carapaz, who ended the Giro 04:43 minutes after the winner. Derek Gee finished fourth, Damiano Caruso fifth, while Giulio Pellizzari took sixth in the GC. Egan Bernal finished seventh, Einer Rubio eighth, Brandon McNulty was ninth, while Michael Storer completed the GC top ten.

“It's been an amazing three weeks and I’m incredibly proud of the guys. It’s been a good turnaround for our team and I’m so happy Olav pulled it off today. Winning the Giro is a defining moment of my career and we will see what is to come,” a proud Simon Yates explained to Roadcycling.com.

Mads Pedersen won the points classification ahead of Olav Kooij, while Lorenzo Fortunato became the best climber. Isaac del Toro won the best young rider classification, while the best team classification was won by UAE Team Emirates.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete news and coverage from the 2025 professional cycling season.