“This is one of the most important moments of my career,” said an emotional Yates afterward. The Brit joined Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the beginning of this season, with the Giro as one of his main goals. “It’s the culmination of many years of hard work. I’ve had some victories in my life, but nothing comes close to this. I want to thank my teammates and staff members for their unconditional support over the past few weeks. When I stood on the podium, surrounded by my teammates, it finally started to sink in that I had won this Giro. It feels incredibly special. Right now, I feel overwhelming pride.”  

As tradition holds, the final stage in the Italian capital allowed room for celebrations. The race only truly came to life in the second half. A small breakaway managed to stay ahead of the peloton for a while, but the sprinters were determined to set up a mass sprint. Kooij could count on an excellent lead-out from teammates Edoardo Affini and Wout van Aert. The two delivered their sprinter to the final few hundred meters with an impressive effort. Kooij then convincingly secured his second stage win of this Giro - a crowning moment for a successful race by Team Visma | Lease a Bike.  

“This Giro couldn’t have ended more beautifully,” said Kooij. “Claiming the overall win with Simon was already fantastic, but a third stage victory for the team was the icing on the cake. Today, we really wanted to go all out one more time. Thanks to Edoardo and Wout, I was perfectly positioned to start the sprint, and I was able to finish it off. Winning here in Rome is amazing. This is a moment we’ll remember forever.”  

Sports director Marc Reef looks back on three unforgettable weeks. “I’m extremely proud of Simon and the entire team. A lot of people have worked with great passion toward this goal, both on and off the bike. Of course, winning a Grand Tour remains a very special feeling. It’s a unique achievement in cycling, so we’re over the moon with this second overall victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the Giro.”  

“We executed everything perfectly over the past few weeks,” he added. “The stage wins by Wout and Olav created great momentum within the team. Also Simon’s strong position in the general classification kept everyone motivated. He was brilliantly supported by his teammates through all 21 stages, and in the final weekend, he finished the job smartly. Simon always excels in the high mountains, and he proved that again. Everything fell into place. A third stage win made the celebration complete. Olav had to wait a long time for another sprint opportunity, but today he once again showed his great class. This was a fantastic ending to a fantastic Giro.”  

This victory marks the eighth Grand Tour win for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. After two overall wins in the Tour de France and four in the Vuelta a España, the Dutch WorldTour team now adds a second Giro d’Italia overall victory to its list of honours.