The third stage of the Giro dโItalia saw Mads Pedersen reclaim the maglia rosa after a textbook performance by Lidl-Trek on the final day in Albania. The Danish rider powered to victory in a reduced sprint in Valona, capping off a dominant display by his team on the tough 160km route.
The stage began under sunny skies in Valona with a fast and aggressive opening. The first part of the race saw repeated attacks as riders tried to make the break. Among the most active were Luke Plapp, Tom Pidcock and Josh Tarling, the latter fresh off a time trial victory the day before. Eventually, a group of six managed to go clear: Tarling, Mark Donovan, Chris Hamilton, Lorenzo Germani, Alessandro Tonelli and Dries De Bondt. Tarling, at just over a minute down on GC, briefly became the virtual race leader.
The peloton was never far behind, however. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, protecting Primoลพ Rogliฤโs pink jersey, did the early chasing, with Lidl-Trek contributing to keep the break in check. Their control of the day began to solidify as the stage reached its midpoint.
Tonelli mopped up points at the first intermediate sprint in Gjorm before the road began to tilt upward. The decisive point of the stage came on the category 2 Qafa e Llogarasรซ climb, a 10.5km ascent with sustained gradients over 7%. Lidl-Trek hit the front with Daan Hoole setting a hard tempo, gradually thinning out the peloton. Wout van Aert and Ethan Hayter were among the sprinters dropped.
With 7km of climbing still to go, Pello Bilbao and Lorenzo Fortunato launched a move from the peloton. They joined what remained of the break and crested the summit with a small lead. Behind, Tom Pidcock momentarily attacked in a flash of intent, but it was Giulio Ciccone who most animated the approach to the top, helping his teammates maintain pace and control.
Fortunato led over the summit and pulled on the blue mountains jersey, but the gap was slender, just 50 seconds to a Lidl-Trek-led peloton with 40km still to ride. The wide, sweeping descent down from the pass allowed the group to regain composure, and the catch was made with 18km to go.
The final kilometres were animated but controlled. With Bahrain Victorious setting a high tempo to keep GC riders out of danger, there was little room for late attacks. Lidl-Trek took over in the final 2km, with Ciccone and Mathias Vacek expertly guiding Pedersen into position.
Vacekโs lead-out was particularly well-timed. He stretched out the pace with 750 metres to go, and Pedersen launched early, confident in his sprint. Corbin Strong surged late but couldnโt come past, while Orluis Aular secured his second third-place finish of this Giro.
Photo Credit: LaPresseMads Pedersen gave his thoughts after the finish
Speaking after the finish, Pedersen revealed the team had executed a pre-race plan to perfection. โThis was the plan this morning,โ he said. โWe wanted to put a good pace on the long climb, to control it for ourselves and give me a chance to breathe there so I didnโt need to go over the limit. Everyone from the team did a super amazing job on the climb and before. From the climb, it was about controlling as far as we could and then it would be a drag race. It was exactly as we wanted it with Ciccone and Vacek giving me an amazing lead out.โ
He also made a point of praising Cicconeโs selflessness, noting that โCicco has ambitions somewhere else in the race but he was there to help me. That shows his character. It shows what we can do at Lidl-Trek.โ
In the press conference, Pedersen admitted he had doubts about whether he could handle the Qafa e Llogarasรซ. โI was in doubt also,โ he confessed. โWhen UAE sped up close to the top, I started to go backwards straightaway. If they had gone harder earlier, I would have been dropped this time for sure. Hopefully, I would have come back, but Iโd have been dropped. This time I was on the limit, but everything played out in our favour.โ
With two stage wins and the maglia rosa back on his shoulders, Pedersen is now nine seconds ahead of Rogliฤ in the general classification and 14 seconds ahead of teammate Vacek. He downplayed any comparisons with his performances in the Classics, but acknowledged the start of this Giro had been ideal: โThese stages in Albania have suited me really well. It was easier for me to show what I can do.โ
The race now transfers to Italy, where Pedersen will have further chances to defend his lead on flatter terrain. But for now, Lidl-Trekโs masterclass in Albanian terrain has firmly placed them at the forefront of this yearโs Giro.
Photo Credit: LaPresse2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 3 result
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Main photo credit: LaPresse
