Mads Pedersen dominates Giro d'Italia stage 5
The Great Dane scores a hat trick and embarrasses rest of the peloton
You like drama, unpredictability, the unexpected, topsy turvy racing? Yeah, not today.
Mads Pedersen isn’t interested in your need for new winners and fresh faces. Your entertainment needs aren’t part of his race strategy,
The break was doomed for the start. Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar Team) and Davide Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta) had a nice day out in their home country. No doubt they were talking soccer and Italian wine and enjoying the local countryside.
They played their role in scoring some camera time before the inevitable. They were extras that would not be anywhere near the final, dramatic scene in Matera. Their time was sand in the glass running out fast — at the 13k mark to be exact.
The damage had already been done for most all the sprinters. Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) and yesterday’s surprise winner Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL) was 1:47 back. Kaden Groves struggled his way to the back of the bunch, then worked his way up but wasn't a factor in the sprint.
Team UAE did hard work with about 4 kilometers to go, perhaps for Juan Ayuso, perhaps for Adam Yates. Nice idea but other than keep their GC riders out of trouble, it wasn’t a big accomplishment. Rafal Malik kept looking back, search for his captains.
AT the 5k banner, Trek Lidl was in their usual position, dictating, bossing and enforcing their rules. the uphill sprint on grades of 3% to 4%, Primoz Roglič was naturally tempted. He went to the front and put in a dig but didn't;’t gain any separation.
Mathias Vacek gifted Pedersen with yet another perfect leadoff. Tom Pidcock Q36.5) tried the right side, Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain-Victorious) took the left with Pedersen powering up the middle. Hat trick for the Dane. Mads likes Matera, Italy.
“I wasn’t sure at all if I had won. It was incredibly hard in the last 20km. I suffered a lot. This was a really tough one,” said Pedersen. “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. I used a lot of energy to move back onto Vacek’s wheel. Luckily I had enough for the last sprint.
Were you a bit disappointed, bored, underwhelmed with another victory by Pedersen? He does’t mind that you weren’t thrilled. He is pink and pink again.
“Three wins in five stages and winning with the Maglia Rosa is insane. It’s way more than I have ever dreamt of,” said Pedersen. “What a Giro we have and what a team I have around me. Tomorrow it’s Naples, I’ve won there before. Every day we try to win as much as possible. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Anybody else want to have a go?
2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 5
1) Mads Pedersen (Denmark/Lidl-Trek) 3:27:31
2) Edoardo Zambanini (Italy/Bahrain-Victorious) s.t.
3) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/Q36.5) s.t.
4) Orluis Aular (Venezuela/Movistar) s.t.
21) Derek Gee (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.
85) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +2:32
5k at 5%