Mads Pedersen delivered a dominant performance on Friday by winning Stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia, marking his fourth stage victory in this year’s race. The Danish rider out-sprinted Wout van Aert in a grueling uphill finish, while Isaac del Toro successfully defended his overall lead and retained the maglia rosa (the pink jersey).
The 180-kilometer stage from Rovigo to Vicenza featured a series of breakaway attempts, but none proved successful. As the peloton approached the decisive final climb toward the finish, Pedersen positioned himself strategically in fourth place before launching his attack. Van Aert stayed close on his wheel, ready to contest the sprint, while Del Toro, who had earlier picked up bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint, couldn’t match the final pace. Despite a solid effort, the 21-year-old Mexican rider had to settle for third.
In the final meters, Pedersen showed exceptional strength and timing. He managed to hold off Van Aert’s late surge, winning the stage by less than a bike length. It was another impressive victory that reinforced his status as one of the strongest sprinters in this year’s Giro.
“What an unbelievable Giro this has been,” Pedersen said after crossing the finish line. “I launched my sprint on instinct. I had to go earlier than planned because I found space on the right side by the barriers. On a day this tough, everyone’s legs are burning at the end. Knowing the finish from my earlier recon definitely helped. I’m thrilled with the win and happy to add another 50 points toward the maglia ciclamino (the purple sprinter’s jersey). I’m honestly overwhelmed to win again.”
While Pedersen was celebrating his win, Del Toro continued to shine in the general classification. Still wearing the maglia rosa, he finished third on the stage, just two seconds behind the front two, and extended his lead at the top of the standings. After Stage 13, he leads teammate Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates by 38 seconds. Bahrain Victorious’ Antonio Tiberi sits third overall, trailing by 1 minute and 18 seconds, with Simon Yates of Visma-Lease a Bike just two seconds further back in fourth.
Earlier in the stage, there were several attempts to escape the peloton. The most promising break came from Romain Bardet of the Picnic-PostNL team, who made a daring move on the winding and downhill sections near the finish. He was joined by Lidl-Trek’s Mathias Vacek, and together they managed to gain a lead of 17 seconds with four kilometers to go. However, their advantage quickly shrank. By the time they reached the final kilometer and the beginning of the climb, the duo was reeled in by the charging peloton, with Alpecin-Deceuninck setting the pace at the front.
“We initially tried to win the stage with Mathias Vacek,” Pedersen said of his teammate’s attack. “He deserved a chance. If the peloton had hesitated even a bit, Romain and Mathias could’ve pulled it off. But the situation worked out perfectly for me. I was able to stay in the group and let other teams do the chasing.”
With Pedersen’s powerful sprint sealing the deal, Stage 13 once again highlighted the unpredictable nature and high-level competition of this year’s Giro. While Del Toro held onto the race lead, Pedersen’s fourth stage win solidified his grip on the points classification. With each stage, the battle intensifies — both for stage honors and for the overall title.
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