Giro d'Italia 2025 Stage 4 recap - Shock win for Casper van Uden as Mads Pedersen retains pink jersey in Lecce

Team Picnic PostNL’s future in the WorldTour may be in the balance, but the Dutch outfit put on a textbook demonstration of dominance in Stage 4 to outfox their rivals on a challenging finishing circuit in Lecce.

In what was anything but a routine bunch sprint, Picnic PostNL made sense of the chaos with Casper van Uden darting from the wheel of team-mate Bram Welten on the exit of the final bend before holding off compatriots Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling).

Van Uden’s maiden Grand Tour stage win on only his fourth day of action lifted his team out of the relegation zone of the UCI World Rankings and had the 23-year-old waxing lyrical about his team-mates.

"I didn’t do it alone – we did it with the whole team. All the boys here and all the staff both here and in HQ as well," Van Uden said. "They did super work. I didn’t have to do anything until 200 metres to go. We’ve worked hard on lead-outs and I knew I just had to follow Bram and the boys. They did a super good job and I’m really happy to give them something back."

A battling fourth place saw race leader Mads Pedersen keep hold of the pink jersey, but it was a tricky day for the Dane and his Lidl-Trek team. Twice Pedersen found himself caught behind crashes, the second occasion just 22km from the finish after his lead-out man Soren Kragh Andersen hit the deck.

A battered and bruised Kragh Andersen finished in last place over 10 minutes after Pedersen fought back to take a solid fourth in the sprint ahead of Australia’s Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Ireland’s Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and France’s Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step).

Pedersen’s lead over Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) was slashed to seven seconds after the Slovenian swooped to two bonus seconds in the Red Bull KM sprint halfway through the 189km stage through Puglia in the heel of Italy.

Just a couple of minor changes today as Del Toro moves one place after the Red Bull KM while Primoz Roglic closes the gap by two seconds as well after he came third in that Red Bull KM sprint.

1 Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
2. Primos Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +07
3. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) +14
4. Brandon McNulty (UAE) +21
5. Isaac Del Toro (UAE) +22
6. Juan Ayuso (UAE) +25
7. Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL) +33
8. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) +34
9. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) +36
10. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +40

Dutchman Bram Welten led his compatriot Casper Van Uden around that last corner with finesse before the 23-year-old debutant powered to the line for only the fifth win of his career.

Dutch delight as riders from the Netherlands take the top three positions on the podium in Lecce…

1. Casper Van Uden (Picnic PostNL)
2. Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike)
3. Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling)
4. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
5. Max Kanter (XDS Astana)
6. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
7. Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
8. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
9. Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers)
10. Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling)

It was such a fantastic execution from Picnic PostNL and Van Uden, who made sense of the chaotic finish. There were so many obstacles and flashpoints but they kept their cool and delivered their man with panache. That’s the first win of his season – and the biggest of his career. It’s also a huge tonic for Picnic PostNL as they fight to avoid  relegation from the WorldTour.

What a finish from Team Picnic PostNL! They had two riders leading the pack through the final bend onto the home straight. Van Uden went long and he had enough to hold off Mads Pedersen and Olav Kooij to take his maiden Grand Tour stage win. Victory for the Dutchman – and wearing those TT helmets paid off!

There’s a crash at a tight corner ahead of the flamme rouge – and it’s caused a bit of a gap. Pedersen and Kooij are on the right side of the gap, ditto Groves I think…

Kaden Groves' team now come to the front at just the right time for their Aussie sprinter, who will be eyeing a first win of the season.

The teams of Paul Magnier and Rick Pluimers are getting their ducks in a line, but it’s still Decathlon on the front with Ineos’s Bernal in second wheel riding like the Bernal of old.

Ineos Grenadiers have clustered around their man Bernal on the front alongside the De3cathlon train. Picnic PostNL are bringing Van Uden to the front, too, while Alpecin are primed.

Here comes Pedersen! The pink jersey is ushered to the front by one of his Lidl-Trek team-mates and he’s now where he wants to be: on Mathias Vacek’s wheel. Olav Kooij is there for Visma and Sam Bennett is already present with some of his Decathlon team. Matteo Moschetti is there and it’s Tudor who come up the middle with four men and some Picnickers in their wake.

Josh Tarling, the stage 2 winner from Ineos, has been pulling hard on the front with team-mate Egan Bernal on his wheel. They’re onto the final lap and it’s all strung out after another squeeze. We’re hearing that Primoz Roglic may have had an issue – and Red Bull don’t seem to be near the front for now, so that could have legs. Pedersen is still stuck in the middle of the pack, while EF are working very well for Richard Carapaz.

Yet another narrowing pinchpoint near the end of the first lap of this finishing circuit results in another stringing out of the pack. EF, Soudal, Astana, Ineos and Alpecin are all heavily present on the front, with Visma a bit further back with Kooij and Pedersen with just the one Lidl team-mate, but not his leadout man Kragh Andersen, who crashed earlier and whose condition is unknown.

Mads Pedersen may be back on but the pink jersey no longer has his leadout man after that crash for Kragh Andersen. Off the back, too, is Lidl’s GC man Giulio Ciccone, who has a team-mate with him but still a large gap to close.

This is a crazy finishing circuit with the road narrowing on so many occasions – the most latest when it drops down through a tunnel underneath another road. It narrows to just a few metres wide and it causes panic in the peloton. The back of the pack is now all strung out, with the GC riders and their teams drilling the tempo on the front.

It’s been a tricky day for Lidl-Trek and that continues at one of those roundabout pinchpoints. Half the peloton go the wrong – long – way around and the split-second of indecision ahead of that sees Soren Kragh Andersen hit the deck after a touch of wheels with a Polti VisitMalta rider – the man in the break, Fran Munoz. Kragh Andersen is Pedersen’s leadout man, and the pink jersey has to slam on the brakes to avoid going down himself. He’ll face a big chase back on now and Lidl-Trek will now have to use a different rider to pilot him at the finish.

A pinchpoint at a roundabout forces those riders near the back to slam on the brakes and they will have to dig deep to chase back on. It’s very nervous now with the road narrowing at points and the tension rising. There are two circuits around the city of Lecce – and Bahrain Victorious have taken it up on the front with a huge pull.

It’s a pretty bold decision but they clearly feel that it will give their man Casper Van Uden and his leadout train the edge. Lidl-Trek are still on the back, which is not where we’re used to seeing the team of the pink jersey Mads Pedersen.