Giro d’Italia 2025: Pedersen drops the hat trick in Matera

Mads Pedersen is non-stop. The Danish cyclist won his third stage in this Giro d’Italia, confirming himself once again as pink jersey. The final stage went from Ceglie Messapica to Matera, a 151-kilometer route that put the riders’ legs to the test, especially in the last 35 km characterized by ups and downs and a final wall with gradients of up to 10 percent.

The start of the stage featured Italians Davide Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta), Giosuè Epis (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar Team) attempting an all-blue breakaway.

The group was later pulled mostly by UAE Team Emirates XRG and Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe. The two teams then controlled the action and caught the two outriders with 13 km to go.

The UAE team upped its pace a lot and tried to skim the peloton. On the final climb towards Matera, Pedersen seemed to be in serious trouble but was able to rejoin the top positions in the very last kilometer. At 300 meters he launched the sprint, resisting the return of Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious), who finished second. Third place for Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who appeared in good condition.

Thanks to this victory Pedersen confirms himself as one of the favorites for the final classification as well. The Giro d’Italia gets into full swing, but he already seems to have an edge.