Stage 5 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia saw Mads Pedersen complete a remarkable hat-trick, sprinting to victory in Matera after clawing his way back into contention in the final kilometre. The Dane’s third win in five stages came after a lumpy 151km route from Ceglie Messapica that delivered tension, time gaps, and a photo finish.
The day began with an all-Italian breakaway of Davide Bais from Polti VisitMalta, Lorenzo Milesi of Movistar, and Giosuè Epis riding for Arkéa-B&B Hotels, who went clear immediately after the flag. The trio stayed out front for over two hours, collecting intermediate sprint points and briefly holding a two-minute advantage.
Their effort came to an end just inside 15km to go on the approach to the category 4 Montescaglioso climb, where the pace in the peloton surged and riders like Olav Kooij and Casper van Uden were distanced. The group continued to thin out as the race hit the steep gradients and twisting roads into Matera, with Primož Roglič moving to the front and threatening a move.
That acceleration appeared to drop Pedersen, who was visibly suffering. However, with Mathias Vacek patrolling the front, Lidl-Trek remained in control. Vacek slowed the pace on the flatter section after the climb, allowing Pedersen to regain contact. As the race entered the final corner with 300 metres to go, Vacek delivered a perfect lead-out and Pedersen launched.
The drag to the line saw Edoardo Zambanini of Bahrain Victorious come close along the barriers, but Pedersen held on by half a wheel. Tom Pidcock, riding for Q36.5 Pro Cycling, slotted into third after navigating the reduced sprint without a full lead-out.
Photo Credit: LaPresse“I wasn’t sure at all if I’d won,” Pedersen admitted afterwards. “It was incredibly hard in the last 20km. I suffered a lot. Over the last climb I was a bit behind, but I fought to get back onto Vacek’s wheel. Luckily, I had enough for the last sprint.”
The stage win marks Pedersen’s fourth at the Giro d’Italia and makes him the first rider to win three stages in the opening five days since Mario Cipollini in 1997. He also increases his lead in the general classification to 17 seconds over Roglič, and extends his advantage in the points competition to 87 over Kooij.
For Pidcock, the result was encouraging but left room for reflection. “I timed my sprint well and went into Mads’ wheel, but he didn’t kick as hard as I expected. I had to hesitate, and you can’t recover from that,” he said. “Third place is not bad. It was a tough finish, pretty explosive.”
Zambanini’s second place marked his best result yet at a Grand Tour. Max Poole also continued his strong Giro, finishing safely in the peloton despite being disrupted in his sprint by Zambanini’s line. The Picnic-PostNL rider is now seventh overall and part of a small group within 30 seconds of Roglič.
The result capped a day that had begun with questions about Pedersen’s staying power. He answered them emphatically in Matera, and with a return to Naples on stage 6 – where he won two years ago – the Dane could yet make more history.
Photo Credit: LaPresse2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 5 result
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