Stage 1: Tirana (Albania) | May 10, 2025
The 2025 Tour of Italy kicked off in the Albanian capital Tirana with a fierce battle for a flat stage.
Danish rider Mads Pedersen, Lidl-Trek, beat Belgian star Wout van Aert, Visma-Lease a Bike, in a sprint towards the finish to win the opening red and wear the pink jersey that symbolizes the overall leader.
Stage 2: Tirana Individual time trial (13.7 km) | May 11, 2025
British driver Joshua Tarling, Ineos Grenadiers team performed well in the 13.7km individual time trial, winning the stage with a time of 16 minutes and 7 seconds, with an average speed of 51.003 km/h.
Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, won second place by just one second, and successfully wore the pink jersey with this result.
Stage 3: Biella to Canale (190 km) | May 12,2025
The third stage, which starts in Biella and ends in Canale, is 190 km long and includes flat and rolling sections. The race begins with a fierce battle on flat roads near Asti, then moves into rolling sections, passing three classified climbs before finishing at Canale.
Mads Pedersen, Lidl-Trek, won the sprint to win the second stage and take the pink jersey!
Stage 4: Albiero Bello to Lecce (189 km) | May 13,2025
The fourth stage, from Albertobello to Lecce, is 189km long and is expected to be favorable for sprinters.
However, the race ended dramatically when Casper van Uden of the Picnic-PostNL team beat Olav Kooij in a sprint towards the finish to win his first stage victory in the Grand Tour.
There were several crashes and mechanical failures, but the overall leader Mads Pedersen managed to keep his pink jersey.
Stage 5: Mesa Pica to Malega (151 km) | May 14,2025
The course of this race is 151 km, passing through two sprint points and one 4th-class climb point. Due to the flat route in the first half, it is expected that a large break will form to divide the climbing points and sprint points along the way.
The first 100km of the race was accompanied by the attack of the breakaway riders and the pursuit of the main group, until the last 32km of hilly road, where the UAE and TREK took turns to lead the ride, screening and filtering out some of them in the last two steep slopes.
In the final sprint, despite failing to stay behind the pack at 600 meters, Mads Pedersen eventually rejoined the sprint train at 200 meters and ultimately secured victory in this stage. Notably, Mads Pedersen signed a permanent contract with the TREK team after this race, which is a testament to his outstanding performance.
Stage 6: Potenza to Naples (227 km) | May 15, 2025
The sixth stage is the longest of the Tour so far, 227km from Potenza to Naples.
The race was held on wet and slippery roads, and a massive crash involving more than 20 riders, including former Tour of Italy champions Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz, occurred about 70 kilometers from the finish line. Jai Hindley withdrew from the race due to injury, while Richard Carapaz rejoined the race.
The race was thus neutralized, with all drivers receiving the same time and not counting towards the overall standings. In the final sprint, Australian driver Kaden Groves of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team won the stage victory, marking his first win of the season. Despite being injured in a crash, Mads Pedersen managed to retain the pink jersey.
The next stage will be more challenging in the mountainous section, and the overall ranking may change significantly. Stay tuned for the exciting race ahead.