Stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia delivered on its billing as one of the most punishing days of the race so far, with 219km of racing ending on the Asiago plateau after a brutal trip over Monte Grappa. For the GC contenders, it was a long-distance test of attrition. For Carlos Verona, it was a rare and overdue moment in the spotlight.
Verona’s victory came from a bold solo move launched with 44km still to go. The Lidl-Trek rider escaped the remnants of a large early breakaway on the lower slopes of the final climb to Dori, built a solid lead, and held on to the finish. It was only the second win of his professional career and came after Giulio Ciccone, the team’s original GC leader, was forced to abandon the race with injuries from a crash.
“In the team meeting this morning, I didn’t expect this would be my role,” Verona said. “But with Cicco out, everything changed. I had to go from far. I’m not fast, so this was my chance.”
Verona held off a chase that included Florian Stork and Christian Scaroni, with the peloton of GC contenders arriving just over a minute later. For the likes of Isaac Del Toro and Simon Yates, the finish was a formality. For Primož Roglič, it was a significant blow.
The Slovenian struggled to follow on the Dori climb, losing contact with around 30km to go. His Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates tried to pace him back, but the elastic snapped. What began as a small gap became a chasm. He conceded 1:30 by the finish and fell from fifth to tenth overall, nearly four minutes down on the maglia rosa.
“We saw a big champion suffering,” said Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe DS Christian Pömer. “He’s in pain. We tried to downplay it, but today showed the truth.”
Roglič didn’t stop to give interviews post-stage, riding straight to the team bus. The only words he offered to chasing reporters were: “I’m just happy that I finished.”
Photo Credit: LaPresseGC shake-ups and sharpening leadership questions
The action among the GC contenders was fierce and fragmented. Ineos Grenadiers launched the first meaningful move, with Egan Bernal attacking near the top of Monte Grappa. Del Toro and Richard Carapaz followed, forming a select lead group briefly joined by Thymen Arensman. UAE Team Emirates-XRG closed the gap quickly, despite their own man in pink being up the road.
That decision from UAE raised a few eyebrows. Why chase your own jersey? Why close a gap to your own leader? Bernal echoed the confusion: “I have no idea what they were doing,” he admitted.
Back together on the descent, the group reformed before being thinned again on the Dori climb. Carapaz attacked twice. Del Toro followed both times. Roglič could not. The gap to the Slovenian widened relentlessly.
Simon Yates, meanwhile, continued his understated rise up the standings. While the headlines have focused on Del Toro and Ayuso, the Brit has crept into second overall. He’s taken time where he can and limited damage when he couldn’t, and now sits just 1:20 off pink with six stages remaining.
“They looked strong,” he said of UAE. “But we’ll try something. Who knows?”
The key questions now centre on leadership at UAE. For a week, Del Toro has been downplaying his role, positioning Ayuso and Adam Yates as the team’s main options. But after another day in pink and another calm defence, the narrative is shifting.
“I showed I’m quite good,” Del Toro said at the finish. “We need to play with the three of us.” He’s gone from ‘they’ to ‘we’, and the change in language reflects the growing sense that UAE must now consider him not just as a placeholder, but as a real contender.
DS Matxin Fernández put it plainly: “Of course he can win the Giro.”
Rest day decisions and recovery
Monday’s rest day comes at the right time for many, but especially for Roglič. Pömer wouldn’t rule out a withdrawal: “It’s a medical decision now,” he said. “Health comes first.”
Ineos, meanwhile, will regroup around Bernal and Arensman. Bernal’s form has steadily improved and, for the first time in three years, he looks like a rider who can influence mountain stages again. “It’s the first Grand Tour I’ve done without pain,” he said, smiling. “That alone is a win.”
The final week features all the race’s biggest climbs, with stage 16 alone taking in four Dolomite ascents and a summit finish. For Del Toro, Yates and Ayuso, the real Giro is only just beginning. For Roglič, the question is whether it will continue at all.
2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 15 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: LaPresse
