Pedersen wins Giro stage 13 as Del Toro extends lead

Mads Pedersen won the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday as Isaac Del Toro maintained his lead in the battle for the overall title.

Lidl-Trek rider Pedersen burst to victory in the final few hundred metres, holding off Wout van Aert in a thrilling end to a punchy 180 kilometres of riding from Rovigo to Vicenza.

“I went a bit earlier than I really wanted to but on such a hard uphill final like this sometimes it’s okay to go early because everyone has burning legs the last 100 meters,” said Pedersen.

Pedersen claimed his fourth stage of this year’s Giro while wearing the sprint jersey, closing in on the six wins Tadej Pogacar racked up on his way to triumph at last year’s edition of the Italian Grand Tour.

Mads Pedersen (L) celebrates winning the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia

“I’m just happy with this one and adding another 50 points to the ‘ciclomino’ (sprint) jersey so let’s see how it goes,” added Pedersen.