Mads Pedersen referred to as the 2025 Giro d’Italia “one insane Grand Tour” after romping dwelling to a fourth stage win on the hill-top finale of Vicenza on stage 13.
The Lidl-Trek rider led in fancied Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and maglia rosa Isaac Del Toro (UAE Staff Emirates-XRG) on the finish of a hilly and laborious fought closing part of the stage, that noticed the riders move by way of the end earlier than a 20km closing loop again spherical.
Chief Del Toro retained his pink jersey for what might be a fifth day on the high of the standings, and even prolonged it by 5 seconds over team-mate Juan Ayuso because of bonus seconds amassed throughout an intermediate dash and on the end.
Pedersen described himself as “overwhelmed” after the stage, saying: “I am simply overwhelmed about successful once more, it is actually one insane Grand Tour this.”
The Dane’s 200m dash, on the high of a steep two-kilometre cat-four climb to the road, was lengthy sufficient already – however the slower velocity added to the period. He mentioned: “I went a bit sooner than I actually wished to. However on such a tough day, on an uphill closing like this typically it is OK to go early, everybody has burning legs the final 100 metres.”
At one stage it regarded as if Pedersen’s team-mate Mathias Vacek could be vying for victory, after he broke away with Romain Bardet within the closing handful of kilometres and was solely introduced again with 600m to go.
“He deserved it a lot additionally,” Pedersen mentioned. “If there had been slightly bit extra hesitation within the peloton, him and Bardet would have had 25, 30 seconds, and I am fairly certain they’d have made it to the end line.”
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Requested concerning the probabilities of matching Tadej Pogačar’s six stage victories from final 12 months’s Giro d’Italia, Pedersen gave the one reply you’d anticipate: “Proper now I am simply proud of this one and including one other 50 factors to the ciclamino jersey,” he mentioned. “So let’s have a look at the way it goes. It is nonetheless an extended strategy to Rome.”
Isaac Del Toro flanked by Egan Bernal and Primož Roglič
(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
The way it occurred
With 4 cat-four climbs and an unlimited quantity of featureless flat alongside the way in which, a fast look on the profile of this 180km outing from Rovigo to Vicenza would not lead you to imagine that it would flip right into a GC vs rouleurs punch-up.
Nonetheless, the satan is within the element and upon nearer examination that closing climb to the end in Vicenza, with its 12% slopes as much as the end, was all the time going to mild the blue touchpaper.
The primary half of the day was sedate compared although nonetheless lots full of life as the stress constructed. An early nine-rider breakaway was by no means allowed a lot rope, with Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike and Q36.5 manning the entrance the bunch and broadcasting their stage-win hopes loud and clear.
The day’s greatest climb – the San Giovanni in Monte, beginning with 50km to go – all the time loomed giant on the horizon and the bunch hit it more durable than many anticipated, with the peloton decimated by the excessive velocity as they swallowed the break.
Solely Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) had managed to carry off the chasers, and he was joined by XDS-Astana rider Christian Scaroni as they approached the summit of the climb.
It was now the flip of Germani and Scaroni to be monitored carefully by the chasing peloton, which introduced the pair to heel simply in time for the Pink Bull dash. This noticed an intriguing duel between Del Toro and his theoretical crew chief Juan Ayuso, with the Mexican showing to take a seat up and permit Ayuso to take second place, whereas he himself settled for third (Scaroni went by way of first).
With lower than 10km to the end, Bardet and Vacek now tried their luck, carving out practically 20 seconds at one level, earlier than the ultimate climb noticed the catch made and Pedersen, Van Aert and Del Toro burst forth in the direction of the road.
Outcomes
Giro d’Italia 2025, stage 13: Rovigo > Vicenza, 180km
1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, 180km in 3:50:24
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, at identical time
3. Isaac Del Toro (Mex) UAE Staff Emirates-XRG, +2s
4. Rémy Rochas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +5s
5. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
7. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
8. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar
10. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, all at identical time
Basic Classification after stage 13
1. Isaac Del Toro (Mex) UAE Staff Emirates-XRG, in 46:32:59
2. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Staff Emirates-XRG, +38s
3. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, +1:18
4. Simon Yates (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, +1:20
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +1:35
6. Richard Carapaz (Eu) EF Schooling-EasyPost, +2:07
7. Giulio Ciccone, (Ita) Lidl-Trek, +2:20
8. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Staff Emirates-XRG, +2:40
9. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, +2:50
10. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech, +2:54
