BRITAIN’S Simon Yates sealed victory in the Giro d’Italia following the final stage from the Vatican City to Rome yesterday evening.

Yates took a lead of almost four minutes into stage 21 and finished safely in the peloton as Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Olav Kooij came out on top in a sprint finish.

Yates effectively sealed victory on Saturday’s penultimate stage when he exorcised his personal demons on the Colle delle Finestre with a stunning solo attack to claim the race leader’s pink jersey.

On the mountain where his dreams of victory were shattered by Chris Froome’s famous solo breakaway in 2018, Yates turned the tables with a masterclass of his own as his rivals were left to question their own tactics.

The 32-year-old Lancastrian rode away from leader Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz on the brutal gradients and the gravel to turn an 81-second deficit and third place into a three minute, 56-second lead over Del Toro.

With the final stage a largely-ceremonial affair, which started with the leading riders meeting Pope Leo XIV, only a serious crash would have denied Yates a second Grand Tour victory following his success in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana.

He is the third British rider to win the Giro after Froome in 2018 and Tao Geohegan Hart in 2020.