"Stage 13 of the Grand Tour turns wild as Mads Pedersen clinches his fourth triumph"
In a thrilling 13th stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia, Mads Pedersen cruised to a fourth stage victory, leaving behind Wout van Aert and Isaac del Toro at the finish line of Vicenza. This clash at the hill-top finale marked one heck of a Grand Tour for Pedersen, referring to it as "one insane Grand Tour."
The Lidl-Trek rider bested his competition after a grueling final section that challenged every cyclist. Despite leading the pack, del Toro retained his pink jersey, even extending it by five seconds over team-mate Juan Ayuso thanks to bonus seconds collected during an intermediate sprint and at the finish.
Overwhelmed by the win, Pedersen commented: "This Grand Tour is really insane, I'm just overwhelmed about winning again." His 200m sprint up a steep, two-kilometer climb was already long, but the slower speed added to the effort. Acknowledging this, he said, "I went earlier than I really wanted to, but on a day like this, an uphill final can sometimes be OK."
Team-mate Mathias Vacek showed promise during the race, breaking away with Romain Bardet in the final kilometers. However, he was reeled back in with just 600 meters to go. "He deserved it so much," Pedersen noted. "Given a bit more hesitation from the peloton, he and Bardet would've had 25, 30 seconds, and I'm pretty sure they would've made it to the finish."
As the race heads towards Rome, Pedersen declined to discuss the possibility of matching Tadej Pogacar's six stage victories from last year's Giro. Reflecting on the moment, Pedersen added, "Right now I'm just happy with this one and adding another 50 points to the ciclamino jersey. Let's see how it goes."
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How it unfolded
This 180km journey from Rovigo to Vicenza presented a simple profile at first glance, featuring four cat-four climbs and ample flat terrain. However, the climbs intensified as the race progressed, leading to a grueling final uphill push.
An initial nine-rider breakaway never had much leeway, with Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Q36.5 taking control of the bunch, showing their intentions for a stage win. The day's biggest climb, the San Giovanni in Monte, set the stage for a fierce battle, as the peloton increased the pace through the steep slopes.
Only Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) managed to maintain his position, teaming up with XDS-Astana's Christian Scaroni as they approached the summit. Red Bull's sprint saw a close battle between Del Toro and Ayuso for first, with Del Toro taking the top spot, while Scaroni went through first.
With less than 10km to go, Bardet and Vacek made their move, cutting a nearly 20-second lead before being reeled back by the peloton during the final uphill push. Bosch, Van Aert, and Del Toro then battled for the win at the line.
Overall standings after Stage 13
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) remains at the top of the standings, with team-mate Juan Ayuso in second and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) moving up to third. Simon Yates, Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz, Giulio Ciccone, Brandon McNulty, Egan Bernal, and Derek Gee fill out the top ten, maintaining their positions from the previous stage.
[1] https://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-13/[2] https://www.cyclingweekly.com/race/giro-ditalia-2025/[3] https://velonews.com/giro-ditalia-2025/mad-pedersen-ill-try-to-defend-the-maglia-ciclamino-for-a-new-day-at-the-giro-48282[4] https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/giro-d-italia/2025/stage-13[5] https://www.gyroscopemedia.com/news/mad-pedersen-dominates-stage-13-giro-ditalia/
Pedersen's fourth stage victory in the 13th stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia was a result of a grueling final section that tested every cyclist. In an uphill final that was longer than he would've preferred, Pedersen went earlier than intended, acknowledging that an uphill final can sometimes be acceptable on a day like this.
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