Overview

• Pope Leo XIV blessed more than 150 cyclists at the start of the Giro d’Italia’s final stage inside the Vatican gardens, marking the first time the race passed through Vatican walls.
• During the blessing, overall leader Simon Yates and classification leaders presented Leo XIV with a replica pink jersey as he praised the cyclists as “role models for young people all over the world.”
• After exiting the Vatican via the Perugino gate, the 143-kilometer finale resumed with a neutralized start outside St. Peter’s before concluding next to the Circus Maximus following eight laps in central Rome.
• Yates holds a nearly four-minute advantage over Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro as he nears clinching the Giro title in Sunday’s concluding circuits.
• The Vatican passage was originally planned to honor Pope Francis during the 2025 Holy Year but was continued by Leo XIV in memory of his predecessor.