Mads Pedersen continued his superb form at the Giro d’Italia by claiming a thrilling victory in stage five, his third win of the race. The Danish rider once again demonstrated his dominance in sprint finishes, edging out the competition after a challenging 151km ride from Ceglie Messapica to Matera.
Pedersen, who started the day in the leader’s pink jersey, looked in difficulty as the race approached the uphill finale. With the gradient ramping up towards the finish, he appeared to struggle with the pace, falling back slightly. But the resilient Lidl-Trek rider found the strength to mount a comeback and launched his sprint early. His bold move paid off as he narrowly held off a late surge from Edoardo Zambanini, who finished second. Britain’s Tom Pidcock rounded off the podium in third place.
“I wasn’t sure at all if I had won,” Pedersen admitted after the finish. “Three wins in five stages and winning while wearing the pink jersey is insane.”
The stage began with an early breakaway by an Italian trio Giosue Epis, Davide Bais, and Lorenzo Milesi who surged ahead shortly after the start. The group showed great determination, but Epis was eventually dropped, and the remaining duo saw their lead dissolve with just 13km to go as the peloton reeled them in.
The pace of the main bunch increased significantly on the Montescaglioso climb earlier in the stage, with several riders being dropped from the group. As the terrain became increasingly difficult in the final 20km, Pedersen’s ability to stay in contention was tested. “It was incredibly hard in the last 20km. I suffered a lot. This was a really tough one,” he said.
Slovenian star Primoz Roglic, riding for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, attempted to shake things up by attacking with just over 2km to go. His move briefly unsettled the pack, but he couldn’t create a decisive gap. Pedersen, who had dropped behind momentarily, worked hard to regain position, expending significant energy to latch back onto teammate Mathias Vacek’s wheel.
Once in position, Vacek once again provided a textbook lead-out, peeling off at the perfect moment. Pedersen launched his sprint early, gambling on his legs holding out over the final meters. Zambanini closed fast, but the Dane held on by a whisker for another impressive stage win.
“Over the top of the last climb I was a bit behind. I was still in the group fighting for the win but I had a very hard time there,” Pedersen explained. “I used a lot of energy to move back on to Vacek’s wheel. Luckily I had enough for the last sprint.”
Pedersen’s latest triumph earned him a 10-second time bonus, which helped stretch his overall lead to 17 seconds over Roglic. Vacek, who played a crucial role in the victory, now sits third in the general classification, a further seven seconds back.
Adding to the day’s positive news, Pedersen confirmed his long-term commitment to Lidl-Trek, announcing that he would remain with the team for the rest of his professional career.
Stage six promises to be another test, featuring a lengthy 227km journey from Potenza to Naples, offering more opportunities for drama in a race that has already delivered several thrilling moments.
