The Fort Worth Press - Pedersen wins opening stage of Giro d'Italia in Albania

USD -
AED 3.672498
AFN 66.278316
ALL 82.286767
AMD 381.405623
ANG 1.790403
AOA 916.999793
ARS 1450.706703
AUD 1.513581
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.698045
BAM 1.668053
BBD 2.013416
BDT 122.25212
BGN 1.66911
BHD 0.376892
BIF 2955.517555
BMD 1
BND 1.290672
BOB 6.907492
BRL 5.522098
BSD 0.999672
BTN 90.191513
BWP 13.210404
BYN 2.933001
BYR 19600
BZD 2.010516
CAD 1.378835
CDF 2264.000414
CHF 0.7951
CLF 0.023226
CLP 911.140143
CNY 7.04125
CNH 7.036675
COP 3863.71
CRC 498.08952
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.043045
CZK 20.770014
DJF 178.015071
DKK 6.373899
DOP 62.81557
DZD 129.690059
EGP 47.531396
ERN 15
ETB 155.468002
EUR 0.853102
FJD 2.28425
FKP 0.746872
GBP 0.74752
GEL 2.689727
GGP 0.746872
GHS 11.495998
GIP 0.746872
GMD 73.501894
GNF 8739.594705
GTQ 7.656257
GYD 209.143749
HKD 7.781275
HNL 26.330401
HRK 6.428399
HTG 130.92649
HUF 330.617817
IDR 16751.25
ILS 3.20355
IMP 0.746872
INR 90.15685
IQD 1309.515179
IRR 42125.000016
ISK 125.929659
JEP 0.746872
JMD 159.951556
JOD 0.709052
JPY 155.995027
KES 128.950128
KGS 87.450063
KHR 4003.445658
KMF 420.999734
KPW 899.993999
KRW 1478.805034
KWD 0.306899
KYD 0.83301
KZT 515.774122
LAK 21648.038141
LBP 89518.671881
LKR 309.300332
LRD 176.937412
LSL 16.761238
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.418406
MAD 9.162342
MDL 16.859064
MGA 4495.599072
MKD 52.499158
MMK 2100.057046
MNT 3547.602841
MOP 8.012145
MRU 39.906011
MUR 46.10406
MVR 15.459757
MWK 1733.41976
MXN 18.005101
MYR 4.0825
MZN 63.910384
NAD 16.761166
NGN 1455.979562
NIO 36.785119
NOK 10.16495
NPR 144.308882
NZD 1.735675
OMR 0.384372
PAB 0.999663
PEN 3.365814
PGK 4.308816
PHP 58.6977
PKR 280.102006
PLN 3.58523
PYG 6673.859367
QAR 3.645474
RON 4.343302
RSD 100.111728
RUB 79.948639
RWF 1455.461927
SAR 3.750853
SBD 8.140117
SCR 13.592982
SDG 601.496241
SEK 9.29012
SGD 1.291295
SHP 0.750259
SLE 24.101968
SLL 20969.503664
SOS 570.329558
SRD 38.678006
STD 20697.981008
STN 20.895879
SVC 8.747159
SYP 11058.365356
SZL 16.766099
THB 31.4145
TJS 9.231602
TMT 3.51
TND 2.921974
TOP 2.40776
TRY 42.809903
TTD 6.783
TWD 31.562501
TZS 2490.000132
UAH 42.222895
UGX 3571.01736
UYU 39.172541
UZS 12055.48851
VES 279.213397
VND 26313
VUV 121.372904
WST 2.784715
XAF 559.461142
XAG 0.015167
XAU 0.000231
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.801636
XDR 0.695787
XOF 559.458756
XPF 101.714719
YER 238.449719
ZAR 16.75075
ZMK 9001.203721
ZMW 22.742295
ZWL 321.999592
  • SCS

    0.0200

    16.14

    +0.12%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    80.22

    0%

  • BCC

    1.4100

    77.7

    +1.81%

  • CMSC

    0.0300

    23.29

    +0.13%

  • NGG

    -0.7700

    76.39

    -1.01%

  • BCE

    -0.3000

    22.85

    -1.31%

  • RIO

    0.4400

    77.63

    +0.57%

  • BTI

    -0.1300

    57.04

    -0.23%

  • GSK

    -0.4200

    48.29

    -0.87%

  • RELX

    0.0900

    40.65

    +0.22%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.43

    0%

  • RYCEF

    0.5400

    15.4

    +3.51%

  • BP

    -1.1600

    33.31

    -3.48%

  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.28

    0%

  • VOD

    -0.0100

    12.8

    -0.08%

  • AZN

    0.7500

    90.61

    +0.83%

Pedersen wins opening stage of Giro d'Italia in Albania
Pedersen wins opening stage of Giro d'Italia in Albania / Photo: © AFP

Pedersen wins opening stage of Giro d'Italia in Albania

Denmark's Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek won the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, a 160km dash over rugged hills ending with two loops of downtown Tirana, as Albania hosts the first three days of this edition.

Text size:

Pedersen was beautifully led out before resisting a late surge from Belgian Visma rider Wout van Aert. Primoz Roglic, the overall favourite to win the 21-day race, finished on the same time in a small bunch just behind.

"I knew he (Van Aert) was behind me so you never know if you can win until the line," said Pedersen.

"The team set it up. We rode hard and then got ahead for the finale."

Pedersen then took to the podium to slip on the iconic race leader's pink jersey and spray the crowds with a magnum of sparkling wine.

"It's the first leader's jersey I have in a Grand Tour, so that's something nice," said Pedersen, the 2019 world champion.

This was a 51st career win for Pedersen and his second on the Giro after one in 2023. He has also won stages at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana.

Spanish climber Mikel Landa was one of five victims of a nasty crash on a tight corner 5km from the finish line as the 184 riders began their epic three-week 3,400km slog to the Vatican in Rome.

Landa, who was third on the Giro in 2015 and 2022, hit a curb and flew into a drop of one metre to the pavement and rolled in agony before being taken away in an ambulance, making him the first casualty of the Giro.

An enthusiastic early break surged ahead of the main peloton aiming for the first King of the Mountains blue jersey, taken by Cofidis rider Sylvain Moniquet.

Saturday's stage 2 is a 13.7km individual time-trial on the streets of the Albanian capital, with van Aert again a major contender for the stage and the pink jersey.

The time-trial features a short 1.3km climb, with the peculiarity of a U-turn at the top.

Sunday's stage 3 will suit the sprinters who were dropped in the hills on Friday as it is a flat run around the coastal city of Valona.

The final week of the Giro will be decisive with stage 20, which ends with a gruelling climb up the Colle delle Finestre to the Sestriere ski resort, the moment when the winner is likely to emerge.

F.Garcia--TFWP