Looking back at one of the most extraordinary races for years
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Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) tries to limit his losses on the final climb up to Prato Nevoso on stage 18 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) takes the 2018 Giro's first leader's pink jersey after winning the opening time trial in Jerusalem(Image credit: Getty Images)
The final podium of the 2018 Giro d'Italia: winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) is flanked by Sunweb's Tom Dumoulin and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Elia Viviani (Quick-Step) thunders to his second stage victory in a row on stage 3 of the 2018 Giro at Eilat(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) wins stage 9 of the Giro at Gran Sasso d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Movistar's Richard Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian ride to win a stage at a Grand Tour when he won stage 8 of the Giro at Montevergine di Mercogliano(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mitchelton-Scott's Esteban Chaves wins stage 6 to Mount Etna while teammate Simon Yates takes over the race lead(Image credit: Getty Images)
Enrico Battaglin (LottoNL-Jumbo) wins stage 5 of the 2018 Giro to Santa Ninfa(Image credit: Getty Images)
Defending Giro champion Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) picked up where he left off by winning the stage 1 time trial of the 2018 Giro in Jerusalem(Image credit: Getty Images)
BMC's Rohan Dennis takes the Giro's pink leader's jersey after picking up a time bonus during stage 2(Image credit: Getty Images)
Team Sky's Chris Froome had hit the ground before the race had even begun, crashing while doing a recce of the 2018 Giro's opening time trial course in Jerusalem(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tim Wellens (Lotto Fix All) celebrates on the podium after stage 4 of the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mitchelton-Scott's Simon Yates and Esteban Chaves celebrate in their pink and blue jerseys, respectively, after Chaves took the stage win and Yates the overall lead on stage 6 of the 2018 Giro to Mount Etna(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) lost more time on stage 9 of the 2018 to Gran Sasso d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) wins stage 11 of the 2018 Giro into Osimo, taking a precious couple of seconds out of defending champion Tom Dumoulin(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida) celebrates having won stage 10 of the Giro to Gualdo Tadino(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lotto Fix All's Tim Wellens gets the better of Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac) on the uphill finish in Caltagirone to win stage 4 of the 2018 Giro in(Image credit: Getty Images)
The riders enjoyed stunning views during the first few days of the 2018 Giro in Israel(Image credit: Getty Images)
Elia Viviani (Quick-Step) sprints to victory on stage 2 of the Giro in Tel Aviv(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) wins stage 9 at Gran Sasso d'Italia, continuing to try to open up a significant gap over initial main rival Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb)(Image credit: Getty Images)
A grim way to make a living on stage 8 of the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mitchelton-Scott's Esteban Chaves is all smiles on the second rest day, but the Colombian would lose 25 minutes the next day to his main rivals(Image credit: Getty Images)
You can tell you're in Italy on stage 9 of the 2018 Giro from Pesco Sannita to Gran Sasso d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates attacks on stage 15 to Sappada to take his third stage victory at the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
BMC's Rohan Dennis en route to stage victory on the stage 16 time trial at the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates gives it everything during the stage 16 time trial at the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Maximilian Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) wins stage 18 of the 2018 Giro at Prato Nevoso, having been part of the day's successful breakaway(Image credit: Getty Images)
A forlorn-looking Simon Yates, during his last day in pink, goes back to his Mitchelton-Scott team car during stage 19 of the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Elia Viviani (Quick-Step) gets his head down in Nervesa della Battaglia on stage 13, en route to taking the third of what would be four stage wins at the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
This guy's wheely good: Mitchelton-Scott's Jack Haig was one of the revelations of the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) races to protect his race lead on stage 14 of the Giro, finishing on Monte Zoncolan(Image credit: Getty Images)
Guess who's back: Chris Froome (Team Sky) puts his troubled Giro behind him and starts to turn things around by winning stage 14 of the Giro on the Zoncolan(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) puts his head down and heads to victory on stage 14 of the Giro on the Zoncolan(Image credit: Getty Images)
LottoNL-Jumbo's George Bennett has had a hard day on stage 19 of the Giro, and later can't quite believe what Chris Froome has done(Image credit: Getty Images)
Defending champion Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) leads Astana's Miguel Angel Lopez and Groupama-FDJ's Thibaut Pinot on the Finestre on stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) makes what will turn out to be his race-winning move on the slopes of the Colle delle Finestre on stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) goes it alone on the Finestre on stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Team Sky's Chris Froome punches the air in delight on top of Monte Jafferau having won stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) wins stage 21 of the 2018 Giro d'Italia in Rome(Image credit: Getty Images)
Team Sky's Chris Froome in Rome on his special pink Pinarello as winner of the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lotto's Adam Hansen is congratulated by Giro boss Mauro Vegni and former pro Alberto Contador having completed his 20th Grand Tour in a row(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mitchelton-Scott's Jack Haig makes it to Rome. The Australian was instrumental during teammate Simon Yates' assault on trying to win the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mitchelton-Scott's Mikel Nieve wins stage 20 of the 2018 Giro d'Italia in Cervinia(Image credit: Getty Images)
A distressed Thibaut Pinot, with the assistance of his Groupama-FDJ teammates, tries to make it through stage 20 of the Giro, but would head to hospital later that evening suffering from dehydration and exhaustion(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sunweb's Tom Dumoulin makes a last-ditch attempt on the climb to Cervinia on stage 20 to wrest the pink jersey from Chris Froome's shoulders(Image credit: Getty Images)
Race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) and points-jersey winner Elia Viviani (Quick-Step) ahead of stage 20 at the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) has time to look down onto his pursuers on the climb of the Finestre on stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
Team Sky's Chris Froome gets his hands - and lips - on the trophy as winner of the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) is heralded as the winner of the 2018 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) cuts a lonely figure among many as he struggles not to lose too much time on the Finestre on stage 19 of the Giro(Image credit: Getty Images)
From the desert landscapes of Israel to the volcanoes of Sicily, from the Apennines to the Alps, and all the way to the finish in Rome, Cyclingnews and its reporters and photographers brought you the story of the 2018 Giro d'Italia.
And what a race it was. From the moment defending champion Tom Dumoulin blasted around the opening time trial course in Jerusalem, we were set for an exciting edition.
First Rohan Dennis stole the pink jersey with a clever nabbing of bonus seconds on stage 2, and then the Australian had to give up the race lead when Simon Yates announced himself to the world by conquering Mount Etna with teammate Esteban Chaves.
After looking as though he'd dominate the race all the way to Rome, Yates, in turn, would lose his leader's jersey to Chris Froome in the most spectacular fashion when Froome went on the attack on the Colle delle Finestre on stage 19, and Yates ended up losing almost 40 minutes.
True – and unfortunately for the race – Chris Froome's salbutamol case still hangs over him like the sword of Damocles, but whatever the outcome, the 2018 Giro d'Italia is not going to be forgotten in a hurry.
Enjoy a reminder of what happened during the race with this Getty Images gallery of some of the key moments at this year's Giro.
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