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As it happened: Giro d'Italia 2025 comes to a close with sprint in Rome

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The final stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025 starts and finishes in the Italian capital of Rome with a 143km flat stage that is largely a procession with a sprint to close.

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Bongiorno and welcome to CyclingNews' live report of the finale stage at the Giro d'Italia 2025. 

After yesterday's heroics, Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike is decked out in pink after getting rid of his Colle delle Finestre demons and storming into the race lead on the penultimate stage of the race while Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) marked each other out of contention. 

Today's stage is a pan flat day starting and finishing in Rome with a ride out to the coast before heading back into the 'Eternal City' to crown the next Emperor of Rome. 

We have lots to catch up on in the CyclingNews newsroom after the incredible racing of yesterday...

A superb ride by Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) to go into pink and take the jersey from Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)...

Yates reacts to going into pink...

It was a nightmare day for Isaac Del Toro despite having the legs to win the race but his tactics went very very wrong...

Yates is head to toe in pink today complete with special pink Cervelo bike, Giro helmet and the rest! His team are also in special black and pink kits.

Neutral start

The riders are rolling around the beautiful and historic city of Rome before they head out to the seaside and then return to the Italian capital and a likely sprint finish. 

All the jersey wearers are now walking to meet The Pope in the Vatican City. He has been gifted a pink jersey. A rather significant moment for this sport. 

The riders are now about to leave the Vatican as they return to Italian soil. Simon Yates is chatting to his twin brother, Adam, at the front of the peloton. Rival teams but this will mean a lot to Adam as well. 

143km to go

The Yates brothers lead the peloton up to the finish line for the first time today. It is a bit of a kick to the finish line. Should be an interesting finale suiting the likes of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck). 

Attack!

The previous pink jersey with the new pink jersey. Isaac Del Toro seems very content with his race despite the abysmal tactics from yesterday. He has been full of smiles and laughter with teammates and friends and had a good chat with Simon Yates as well. 

The winner of the blue mountains jersey, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana), has the largest winning points margin in the competition since 1990. He has 355 points with his teammate, Christian Scaroni, with 201 points. 

Simon Yates is the first rider who will win the Giro without winning a stage since 2015 when Alberto Contador won the overall. El Pistolero pulled off that less wanted achievements twice in his career. Yates does have six stage wins to his name over the years, though. 

Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek has the largest winning margin in the points standings since 1990. He 277 points to Olav Kooij of Visma-Lease a Bike's 135 points. This can still grow or shrink today with the likely sprint finish. 

The riders are now down by the seas as the race is at it's furthest point from the finish in Rome. 

110km to go

Attack!

The attacks are coming as they are a kilometre from the intermediate sprint in Fontana dello Zodiacco.

Intermediate sprint (Fontana dello Zodiacco)

The pace has completely changed at the front of the peloton as Visma-Lease a Bike come to the front for Olav Kooij with the other sprinters teams working with them. 

The three riders in the break sat up after the intermediate sprint. They were fighting for he points in that as De Bondt and Tonelli are first and third in that competition. The latter took max points and has now jumped above Pedersen to take second. 

100km to go

Kruijswijk is now leading with the whole of the Visma-Lease a Bike team on his wheel including Simon Yates in pink. Multiple teams are forming their trains behind them but it is the Dutch registered squad.  

On the way out of Rome to the sea, the riders of Visma-Lease a Bike were not on the front as they are now. They were at the back knocking back a bit of Prosecco as they celebrate their GC victory. 

The riders are now onto the finishing circuit in Rome. 

Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) launched an attack and Kruijswijk screamed at him saying he wasn't allowed to go. Visma-Lease a Bike want to lead the peloton across the finish line for the first time at race speed. They, of course, crossed it in the neutral zone earlier today. 

Visma-Lease a Bike cross the line as a team leading the peloton and now the racing is really on. 

Attack!

Attack!

70km to go

The seven rider break have just under 20 seconds on the peloton led by Alpecin-Deceuninck, Picnic-PostNL, Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike. 

Bike change

A shot of the Visma-Lease a Bike earlier on, celebrating their win

Intermediate sprint (Rome)

40km to go

There appears to be an issue for the American sprinter, Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep), has an issue. He has Ethan Hayter with him to look after him but this is bad timing. 

The break cross the finish line but are closely followed by the peloton with four laps of this stage to go. 37km of the 2025 Giro d'Italia remain. 

30km to go

Three laps to go. The break have 27" gap on the peloton and are now 3km away from the Red Bull Kilometre. 

Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL) comes to the front of the peloton for the final time in a Grand Tour. He will finish his career next week at the Criterium du Dauphine. 

Red Bull KM (Rome)

Five riders now clear with Pietrobon dropped. They have lost about 10" on the peloton after that bit of shenanigans. They might be able to get organised again but this may have killed the break off. 

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale come to the front en masse to work for Sam Bennett. He has so much history with the Giro d'Italia with three stage wins. Can it be four today?

20km to go

Just two laps to go and the peloton are rapidly closing in with Hepburn sitting up from the breakaway as he sees the bunch approaching. 

Tudor have also com to the front to work for birthday boy Maikel Zijlaard as well as Q36.5 working for Matteo Moschetti. 

Marcellusi has now just been dropped from the break with just Paleni, Cerny and Verre holding on out front. 

The leading trio have just a handful of seconds on the bunch as the pace is being lifted yet again as more fresh riders move up. 

Attack in break

10km to go

One lap to go!

Josef Cerny drops Enzo Paleni and goes solo with 8km to go and has just 6" over the peloton. 

After three hours of racing the average speed is up to 44.5kph as the peloton eases up the pace a little bit but they should be able to close in on Cerny who is now all over the bike giving 110%. 

5km to go

Yates is now sitting a bit further back in the peloton with Dylan van Baarle looking after him but what a moment for the lad from Bury to ride around Rome in pink. 

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale and XDS-Astana come back to the front for Sam Bennett and Max Kanter. 4km to go. Alpecin-Deceuninck aren't ready to give up control just yet, though. 

Into the final 3km as the GC riders are now safe if anything happens to them. Alpecin-Deceuninck lead but Vismea-Lease a Bike, Tudor and Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale are read and waiting. Picnic-PostNL also coming up for Casper van Uden. 

Final 2km of the Giro d'Italia and the pace is rapid with Alpecin-Deceuninck still managing to lead the way. 

Flamme Rouge!

Edoardo Affini leads ahead of Wout Van Aert and Olav Kooij as they look to finish off a perfect Giro d'Italia for Visma-Lease a Bike. Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale and Lidl-Trek coming to the front as well for Bennett and Pedersen. 

Olav Kooij of Visma-Lease a Bike wins stage 21 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 as his teammate, Simon Yates, wins the overall of the Giro d'Italia 2025. A perfect ending for the team. 

Coming into this race you may have though that Simon Yates could have had a decent GC run with a top 5 definitely realistic. Not many would have thought that the British rider could have done this. He takes his second Grand Tour seven years after taking his first at La Vuelta a Espana. 

Stage 21 top 10

Simon Yates and Visma-Lease a Bike take the Giro d'Italia 2025. In 2023 and 2024 the winning team of the Giro has gone on to win the Tour de France... 

Yates had a beaming smile after he rolled across the line confirming his overall victory but also seeing his teammate take the stage. 

Olav Kooij celebrates his stage victory in the evening sunshine.

Final General Classification

Final youth standings

Final Points Standings

KoM Final Standings

Other competitions winners

Make sure to stay on board with CyclingNews for all the reaction and, of course, the build up for all the racing in June and beyond as we now look towards the Tour de France. 

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