Simon Yates wins another Giro d’Italia stage to extend race lead

Barring a complete collapse, nobody looks capable of catching Simon Yates at the Giro d’Italia. The British leader won his second stage on Tuesday.

On Tuesday at the Giro d’Italia, race leader Simon Yates won his second stage victory of the race. The victory, which was born from a solo attack on the final climb in Osimo, gained Yates a few more seconds over defending champion Tom Dumoulin in the battle for the maglia rosa. More importantly, it further diminished the hopes of several other contenders to get back into the race.

The stage from Assisi to Osimo featured several climbs along with rolling terrain in between. The final incline was short but punchy. A breakaway that had stayed away for much of the stage was caught within the final five kilometers. Counterattacks started springing off the front, and Yates sprung into action.

Merging up to and then passing Tim Wellens, Yates launched up the ramp free and clear. Dumoulin gave chase, but the defending champion struggled to catch up. In the end, Dumoulin managed to limit his losses to two seconds.

Several of the contenders managed to limit their losses. Thibaut Pinot and Domenico Pozzovivo were part of a group that finished eight seconds behind Yates. The duo sit third and fourth in the general classification and remain within 80 seconds of the leader.

Some of the favorites were not nearly as fortunate.

Richard Carapaz, the only other rider within two minutes of Yates at this midpoint of the race, finished 23 seconds behind Yates at the line in Osimo. The Ecuadorian stage winner is still clinging to a top-five position. But his chances of reaching the podium are fading with each passing stage.

Carapaz is at least in better position than the pre-race favorite. Chris Froome was expected to challenge for the Giro d’Italia title in an attempt to become the first cyclist in history to hold all three grand tour leader’s jerseys at the same time. The reigning Tour de France and Vuelta a España winner, though, has looked downright pedestrian this year in Italy.

Froome cracked on the final climb, as the counterattacks quickened the pace. The Kenyan-born British cyclist now sits in 12th place in the general classification, 3:20 behind the leading mark set by Yates. Even reaching the podium is looking implausible for Froome at this point. The pink jersey and the chance to make history is almost certainly out of reach.

Can anyone challenge Yates at this point of the Giro d’Italia?

The short answer: Probably not.

Tom Dumoulin still has the advantage of the long time trial on May 22. If the world time-trial champion can keep his gap to Yates under 90 seconds over the next four stages, the Dutchman will have a good shot of retaking the maglia rosa in Rovereto.

But after that, three mountain stages loom. And nobody has looked as comfortable on the climbs among the GC contenders as Yates. Dumoulin would have to build a major advantage in the time trial to survive in pink all the way to Rome.

If Yates is dominating even stages like the Tuesday romp through Umbria and the Marche, there is little hope for any rider to carve out substantive time. The battle now seems to be for the other two steps on the podium.

Next: Giro d'Italia 2018: Everything you need to know about the route

Everyone expected one British rider who won last year in France to dominate this race. That prediction has come to pass in its own way. But instead of the man who wore the yellow jersey in Paris, it is the best young rider from last year’s Tour that is now dominating at this year’s Giro d’Italia.