GIRO WIN IS JUST DIVINE

Yates in the pink as Pope meeting puts seal on title

- by MIKE WALTERS

SIMON YATES shed tears as he secured glory on the very slopes where he saw his Giro d'Italia hopes evaporate seven years ago.

It was on the Colle delle Finestre, with the Giro d’Italia's fabled pink jersey at his mercy, that Yates cracked in 2018 and fellow Brit Chris Froome romped to success on a stunning 50-mile solo breakaway.

But as Yates arrived in Rome yesterday as Britain’s 12th Grand Tour winner since 2012, this time he was pretty in pink.

With the final stage a largely ceremonial affair, he and the other leading riders began the day by meeting the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.

After that, only a serious crash would have denied Yates a second Grand Tour victory following his success in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana.