The perfect shot for Simon Yates. Well positioned in the wheel of the Giro leaders, the Briton placed the right attack at the right time in the final of the 14th stage to claim a second victory in the Tour of Italy 2022. The Olympic champion, the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Ineos), took on the leader’s pink jersey after this intense 147-kilometre stage which caused significant gaps.
Yates, already winner of the second stage time trial in Hungary, achieved his sixth stage success in the Giro. The 29-year-old Briton lost his footing in the standings last Sunday in the Blockhouse. The 2018 Vuelta winner then focused on stage wins.
Juan Pedro Lopez finally cracked
On the line, Yates beat a trio of counter-attackers by about fifteen seconds. Australian Jai Hindley took second place ahead of Carapaz and Italian veteran Vincenzo Nibali (37). The Spaniard Juan Pedro Lopez, at the top of the classification since the 4th stage at Etna, lost more than four minutes.
Lopez let go on the penultimate climb, on an attack from Carapaz brought 28 kilometers from the finish. The Ecuadorian then plateaued and was joined on the final climb by Hindley and Nibali, then by Yates.