Benson Bulletin: Giro d'Italia stage 19 🇮🇹
A win from the break but time is running out for Carapaz to crack Del Toro
Hi Subscribers,
After almost three weeks of racing, the outcome of the 2025 Giro d’Italia will come down to the final mountain stage from Verrès to Sestrière after a relatively quiet stage 19 that saw Nicolas Prodhomme win from the break but very little action from the main GC contenders.
Today we analyse Prodhomme’s victory, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s supremacy in the race, despite losing two riders and Adam Yates faltering, as well as Simon Yates hitting out at his own team’s tactics. There is also discussion surrounding Richard Carapaz’s position and his hopes of winning a second Giro, and we examine the remaining top ten in anticipation of tomorrow’s showdown.
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Containment sees Del Toro inch towards Giro crown 🤴
Stage 19 couldn’t have gone much better for Isaac del Toro and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates. They were not troubled by the early break, had strength in numbers on the Col Saint-Pantaléon, Col de Joux, and Antagnod, and at no point did they appear stretched or under pressure. The maglia rosa even extended his lead over all his rivals, and this was supposed to be the terrain on which his mettle was meant to be severely tested. If that was the best his rivals could throw at him, then this race is over.
Today, Del Toro appeared comfortable. He matched Carapaz’s late attack, gained time over all his rivals, and even collected a couple more bonus seconds on the line. However, those two seconds weren’t the only aspect that stood out - the main takeaway from today was how untroubled he looked.
At one point, one of the TNT commentators likened his cosy appearance to a rider enjoying a Sunday club run, and they weren’t wrong. At that moment, the remnants of the maglia rosa group were strung out on one of the toughest climbs of the race, battling through severe heat, while the race leader looked like he’d only just got on the bike. To be so at ease three weeks into a Grand Tour at such a young age is truly astonishing.
As for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, they proved once again that they’re not just the strongest team in the race, but the strongest team in the world.
They lost Juan Ayuso and Jay Vine before today's stage, and Adam Yates had an off day - situations that would have put most WorldTour teams on the canvas. Yet, they still managed to have five of their six remaining riders finish inside the top 20, including a fatigued Yates. They are light years ahead of the opposition this season, and this is being demonstrated here at the Giro d’Italia, where a rider with no real Grand Tour pedigree heading into the race is on the cusp of winning the second biggest stage race in the world. Their strength is also backed up by the fact that they haven’t been flawless across the entire three weeks and still hold the jersey with one last test to come.
Stage 19 results 🇮🇹
Don’t blame the opposition 🤬
As far as memorable mountain stages of the Giro d’Italia go, that was a solid 2 out of 10.
However, despite UAE’s dominance on today’s stage, it is difficult to place any blame on the opposing teams in this race. EF Education-EasyPost and Visma-Lease a Bike both had riders in the early break as they aimed to position their satellite rider for the day ahead, but when crucial pace-setting was required on the Col Saint-Pantaléon and Col de Joux, they simply ran out of resources.
Carapaz found himself isolated, while Visma-Lease a Bike, particularly Wilco Kelderman, spent extensive time at the front but couldn't crack any of the top riders.
Ultimately, EF and Visma reduced the leading group to about a dozen riders; however, despite assistance from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, the course's characteristics, the lack of climbing strength, and the heat contributed to a day of attrition rather than lively attacks.
While it’s worth pointing out that EF and Visma aren’t here with their strongest teams, this isn’t a one-day race and there’s still tomorrow to come. What we saw today was more vertical metres of climbing but certainly not the tougher finish, which comes with the Colle delle Finestre and the final climb to Sestrière. We don’t know how deep UAE went today, how Del Toro will back everything up, and if Carapaz is saving his legs for one final assault on climbs where real differences can be made.
EF and Visma did what they could today, given the resources available at the race.