OFFICIAL Stage 20 Results
Laurens De Jong
Hello, Giro d’Italia Gamers!
Trigger alert: this report mentions Lance Armstrong. Readers’ discretion is advised.
STAGE Grade: C+
I rate today’s stage an A. I thought it should be an A+ but the numbers didn’t support that. And when I thought about it: if Isaac del Toro and his team had simply done their job, it would have been an average stage. Bumping a grade because of a team’s colossal nonchalance is wrong, so it’s an A. And it would have been A- if I could have given -1 stars on account of del Toro’s sprint for ninth place.
Route: 5/5 GC: 5/5 Tactics: 5/5 Sprint: 0/5 Surprises: 5/5
World Championship Road Racing, 1948. Who would win? Fausto Coppi or Gino Bartali? The Italian riders dominated cycling. It turned out to be a brilliant race, with lots of attacking tactics. Kübler and Clemens left the peloton: Coppi and Bartali looked at each other. Dupont, Ricci, and Schotte left the peloton: Coppi and Bartali looked at each other. Caput, Teissière, and Lazaridès left the peloton: Coppi and Bartali looked at each other. Schulte and Ockers left the peloton: Coppi and Bartali looked at each other.
When the peloton finally consisted only of Coppi and Bartali, they looked at each other and climbed off. Both of them, we must assume, happier than they would be to finish second to the other. The Italian racing federation suspended them both for two months.
The phenomenon that two champions cancel each other out is legendary. The 1948 World Championship was legendary. Stage 20 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia: legendary.
Isaac del Toro, clearly the strongest rider in the peloton. He wants everyone to know that: he had lost the Giro and yet outsprinted Richard Carapaz and the others. More on that later.
EF Education – EasyPost wanted to break del Toro early on the climb to Colle delle Finestre. They used up their domestiques quickly and then Carapaz launched. Del Toro, even with his hand tied behind his back, followed easily. Over and over again, Carapaz attacked, del Toro effortlessly countered.
At that point, del Toro had won the 2025 Giro d’Italia.
Then Simon Yates attacked, 38 kilometers to go, and he opened a gap. At this point, del Toro’s job is: go after Yates. Carapaz’ job is: don’t bring del Toro back to Yates.
Carapaz wavered but succeeded. There were a few times that he attacked, but del Toro countered so effortlessly that even Carapaz understood his folly.
But del Toro? Yates was thirty seconds ahead. Del Toro looked at Carapaz. A minute and a half ahead: Yates had made up the deficit in the general classification. Del Toro looked at Carapaz. Del Toro and Carapaz were going so slow at one point that Mads Pedersen passed them on the climb. Pedersen! Yates went over the top, almost two minutes ahead. Del Toro looked at Carapaz. Yates still hadn’t won the Giro. Del Toro had all the time in the world to chase down Yates, but he would have to work for it.
Over the top and Team Visma – Lease-a-Bike’s plan to have a satellite rider in the breakaway worked perfectly. Yates caught up with Wout van Aert. Van Aert pulled Yates all the way through the valley. Today, Wout van Aert was the best cyclist in the world. What a sight, van Aert, Yates fully in his wake, and riders behind them trying to hold on but getting dropped.
Two minutes behind that group, Del Toro looked at Carapaz.
Simon Yates had won the 2025 Giro d’Italia. Del Toro looked at Carapaz for the next twenty kilometers. He sat up, did del Toro. Literally hands off the handlebars, sitting up, not pedaling. He could still win the Giro, but he chose to make sure he didn’t lose to Carapaz.
If we, as cycling fans, applaud great performances, then we must also show our disapproval of bad performances. Del Toro, doing nothing. Unlike Max Poole, who caught up with del Toro and Carapaz: he attacked. Poole attacked because he wanted tenth place. Almost impossible, but you must attack. Del Toro did nothing.
Giulio Pellizzari, Timo Kielich, Pello Bilbao, Damiano Caruso, Sylvain Moniquet, Andrea Vendrame, Kevin Geniets, Derek Gee, Chris Hamilton, and Rafał Majka caught up with del Toro. Del Toro did nothing.
Del Toro looked at Carapaz. Even then, Majka refused to pull. They waited for Brandon McNulty, and only then UAE went to the front. For what?
Attack as late as possible. But before the others. Del Toro attacked fifty meters before the line. Easily outsprinting Carapaz and the others. And after the line, del Toro and his teammates celebrated. High-fives and selfies. Selfies!
In the late 1990s, early 2000s there was an American cyclist. He won a lot of races, but I disliked the cynical way he approached cycling. Racing for the adulation from an American public that knew nothing about cycling except one bike race, the Tour de France, he focused on nothing else. No Giro, no Vuelta, no Milan – San Remo. Only the Tour mattered, the quickest way to financial success in his homeland.
Today, Isaac del Toro decided to form himself in the mold of that man, Lance Armstrong. I feel the same distaste for del Toro now as I did for Armstrong then. For an entire hour, he was unwilling to race. Then he celebrated second place and blamed Carapaz for his misfortune.
The smallness. The absolute smallness of del Toro’s character! Del Toro to Carapaz: “If you don’t help, I’m not going to chase.” Such petulance is intolerable. For a whole week all del Toro has done is counter attacks and then sit in the wheel. That’s okay, but then don’t complain when Carapaz doesn’t let you eat his lunch.
Intolerable. I’m lashing out at del Toro and perhaps he did what his team told him. Cycling is a team sport. Lance Armstrong used that excuse, too. He did what his team told him. Cycling is a team sport.
Del Toro is 21. “He’ll get his chance to win a grand tour.” Or not. UAE Team Emirates came here to win the 2025 Giro d’Italia. Instead, they gave it away. Seemingly without regret. And then del Toro sprinted for ninth place. Proud of it. “My team deserved it, I always sprint for the finish.” No, your team deserved that you chased after Simon Yates in the valley. What you did is like kicking a field goal with time expiring when you’re at the 10-yard-line and 20 points down. It’s disgraceful, del Toro. It’s a disgrace.
Hey, Simon Yates. I didn’t say anything yesterday because I thought he was finished. But what a Giro he has raced. Until today, not a single meter in the wind. Always behind other riders. Del Toro had 52 bonus seconds before today, Yates had 0. He had one goal in mind: attack on the Colle delle Finestre and win the Giro. He did that, a very smart and calculated race. You could call that cynical as well, but I say he maximized the resources he had to achieve his goal.
I still don’t like the tactic of satellite riders in the breakaway. It worked beautifully today, the second time I’ve seen Visma succeed like that. But the problem is: it’s very easy to counter. Van Aert managed to get himself over the Colle delle Finestre with maybe a minute to spare. All UAE Team Emirates had to do was keep the breakaway at five minutes, instead of ten as they did. But UAE tried absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing today to win the Giro d’Italia. And they didn’t.
Things I won’t talk about because I am running out of time: Chris Harper so deserved to win today. By doing everything that del Toro didn’t, he made this a great Giro for the Australians. It’s a little bittersweet that Simon Yates had been with Team Jayco AlUla his entire professional career. Then he moves to Visma, and he wins the prize he’s always wanted. But okay, my greatest respect to Harper and the Jayco AlUla team.
There was a Giro train today and there were ski lifts. I’m not mentioning any of that.
No glory for our Team Polti – VisitMalta today. Dries de Bondt made it into the breakaway and Alessandro Tonelli didn’t. De Bondt won the first sprint uncontested. The second sprint, our Mirco Maestri did what he could to stop de Bondt, but couldn’t. For some reason, Wout van Aert outsprinted both of them. De Bondt is now 20 points ahead in the competition and can’t be caught.
No luck in the fuga competition, either. Tonelli still 50 points behind Manuele Tarozzi. It will come down to one final effort on Sunday.
Davide Piganzoli held on as long as he could, then finished 36th. In a small grupetto with Nicolas Prodhome. He maintained 14th place in the overall standings.
After Giulio Pellizzari had caught up with del Toro, you could see him asking a question. I’d like to think he said “what are you doing here?” But who knows. After the stage, they were hugging each other, celebrating. Don’t know why. They’re good friends, they go on double dates together. Pellizzari climbed to sixth overall, he should feel good. But nothing to celebrate about.
Watch the final kilometer HERE.
Watch the official Giro d’Italia highlights HERE.
Read the TNT Sports report HERE.
Spoiler alert: Team Ansel and Team Charles traded places, everything else stayed the same in the standings.
A completely new podium today in our game. Team Oliver had most points from the stage, most points overall, and most riders in the Top-25 (eight). On a small-ish points kind of day he takes the win. Well-distanced were Team Joshua, Team Charles, and Team Tadej — the latter with most points from classifications.
Team Katja were sixth and the rest missed the boat today. Team Sam in seventh, Team Ansel in eighth, Team Grace in ninth. Team Amalia and Team Noah tied for 10th. Team Hugo finished twelfth today.
It is mathematically impossible for anyone to catch Team Tadej. They’ve won the 2025 AAVC Giro d’Italia Game — congratulations!
The final stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia gives the race back to the sprinters one final time. Who still has the legs to win it, though? Three weeks of racing. It’s so hard, so so hard. The final 700 meters go slightly up and is one of the “brevi tratti in pavé (sanpietrini),” according to the road book. Short sections of sanpietrini, although the Italians use the French word pavé. Sanpietrini are the classic Roman cobblestones, not quite as punishing as the cobblestones in Paris-Roubaix or the Flemish classics. Not a factor in the race.
Olav Kooij is still the best sprinter, and he clearly has the best lead-out rider. This looks like the kind of sprint that Mads Pedersen could win, but I’m betting on Kooij. Winning teams keep on winning.
Standings after stage 20:
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Tadej* |
3419 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Oliver* |
2969 |
2 |
0 |
|
3 |
Team Joshua* |
2948 |
3 |
0 |
|
4 |
Team Charles* |
2892 |
5 |
1 |
|
5 |
Team Ansel* |
2888 |
4 |
-1 |
|
6 |
Team Katja* |
2641 |
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
Team Hugo* |
2413 |
7 |
0 |
|
8 |
Team Sam* |
2356 |
8 |
0 |
|
9 |
Team Thomas* |
2285 |
9 |
0 |
|
10 |
Team Amalia* |
1828 |
10 |
0 |
|
11 |
Team Noah* |
1357 |
11 |
0 |
|
12 |
Team Grace* |
925 |
12 |
0 |
Standings after stage 20 (including adults):
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Tadej* |
3419 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Andrew |
3339 |
2 |
0 |
|
3 |
Team Kent |
3286 |
3 |
0 |
|
4 |
Team Amelia |
3155 |
4 |
0 |
|
5 |
Team Feng |
2982 |
5 |
0 |
|
6 |
Team Laurens |
2981 |
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
Team John |
2978 |
7 |
0 |
|
8 |
Team Oliver* |
2969 |
8 |
0 |
|
9 |
Team Joshua* |
2948 |
9 |
0 |
|
10 |
Team Charles* |
2892 |
11 |
1 |
|
11 |
Team Ansel* |
2888 |
10 |
-1 |
|
12 |
Team Ed |
2863 |
12 |
0 |
|
13 |
Team Rob |
2735 |
13 |
0 |
|
14 |
Team Campbell |
2671 |
14 |
0 |
|
15 |
Team Katja* |
2641 |
15 |
0 |
|
16 |
Team Kari |
2576 |
16 |
0 |
|
17 |
Team Hugo* |
2413 |
17 |
0 |
|
18 |
Team Sam* |
2356 |
18 |
0 |
|
19 |
Team Thomas* |
2285 |
19 |
0 |
|
20 |
Team Doug |
2211 |
20 |
0 |
|
21 |
Team Adam |
2144 |
21 |
0 |
|
22 |
Team Julie |
2105 |
22 |
0 |
|
23 |
Team Amalia* |
1828 |
23 |
0 |
|
24 |
Team Noah* |
1357 |
24 |
0 |
|
25 |
Team Kate |
1167 |
25 |
0 |
|
26 |
Team Grace* |
925 |
26 |
0 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 20:
|
Name |
STAGE RESULTS |
PINK JERSEY |
PURPLE JERSEY |
BLUE JERSEY |
WHITE JERSEY |
POINTS/CLASS |
TOTAL |
PREVIOUS |
CUM. TOTAL |
|
Team Amalia* |
43 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
60 |
1768 |
1828 |
|
Team Ansel* |
46 |
20 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
76 |
2812 |
2888 |
|
Team Charles* |
73 |
29 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
41 |
114 |
2778 |
2892 |
|
Team Grace* |
53 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
67 |
858 |
925 |
|
Team Hugo* |
18 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
31 |
2382 |
2413 |
|
Team Joshua* |
81 |
24 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
117 |
2831 |
2948 |
|
Team Katja* |
70 |
24 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
102 |
2539 |
2641 |
|
Team Noah* |
43 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
60 |
1297 |
1357 |
|
Team Oliver* |
99 |
20 |
12 |
0 |
3 |
35 |
134 |
2835 |
2969 |
|
Team Sam* |
57 |
18 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
83 |
2273 |
2356 |
|
Team Tadej* |
66 |
25 |
13 |
0 |
8 |
46 |
112 |
3307 |
3419 |
|
Team Thomas* |
70 |
20 |
9 |
0 |
5 |
34 |
104 |
2181 |
2285 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 20 (including adults):
|
40 |
13 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
61 |
2083 |
2144 |
|
|
Team Amalia* |
43 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
60 |
1768 |
1828 |
|
Team Amelia |
75 |
26 |
12 |
5 |
3 |
46 |
121 |
3034 |
3155 |
|
Team Andrew |
83 |
30 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
43 |
126 |
3213 |
3339 |
|
Team Ansel* |
46 |
20 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
76 |
2812 |
2888 |
|
Team Campbell |
57 |
17 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
86 |
2585 |
2671 |
|
Team Charles* |
73 |
29 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
41 |
114 |
2778 |
2892 |
|
Team Doug |
53 |
21 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
86 |
2125 |
2211 |
|
Team Ed |
55 |
16 |
12 |
4 |
1 |
33 |
88 |
2775 |
2863 |
|
Team Feng |
57 |
20 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
33 |
90 |
2892 |
2982 |
|
Team Grace* |
53 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
67 |
858 |
925 |
|
Team Hugo* |
18 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
13 |
31 |
2382 |
2413 |
|
Team John |
85 |
32 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
45 |
130 |
2848 |
2978 |
|
Team Joshua* |
81 |
24 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
117 |
2831 |
2948 |
|
Team Julie |
52 |
11 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
70 |
2035 |
2105 |
|
Team Kari |
73 |
29 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
37 |
110 |
2466 |
2576 |
|
Team Kate |
55 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
70 |
1097 |
1167 |
|
Team Katja* |
70 |
24 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
102 |
2539 |
2641 |
|
Team Kent |
83 |
30 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
43 |
126 |
3160 |
3286 |
|
Team Laurens |
69 |
23 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
36 |
105 |
2876 |
2981 |
|
Team Noah* |
43 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
60 |
1297 |
1357 |
|
Team Oliver* |
99 |
20 |
12 |
0 |
3 |
35 |
134 |
2835 |
2969 |
|
Team Rob |
44 |
10 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
20 |
64 |
2671 |
2735 |
|
Team Sam* |
57 |
18 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
83 |
2273 |
2356 |
|
Team Tadej* |
66 |
25 |
13 |
0 |
8 |
46 |
112 |
3307 |
3419 |
|
Team Thomas* |
70 |
20 |
9 |
0 |
5 |
34 |
104 |
2181 |
2285 |
-Laurens.