Giro d'Italia 2025 Stage 13 recap - Mighty Mads Pedersen holds off Wout van Aert and Isaac del Toro for fourth win

A barnstorming uphill sprint on Monte Berico in Vicenza saw the Danish man-of-the-moment Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) soar to a fourth win on the Giro d’Italia. The Dane held off Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in a nail-biting finale, with Mexico’s Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) crossing the line for third place to extend his lead in the general classification.

Pedersen’s fourth win on this Giro was perhaps his best, the in-form 29-year-old having to battle a double-digit gradient in the final kilometre before launching early to snuff out the threat from his rival Van Aert.

An impressive third place from Del Toro, meanwhile, saw the Mexican finish three seconds clear of his GC rivals and, once bonus seconds were factored in, extend his lead over Spanish team-mate Juan Ayuso to 38 seconds.

French duo Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ) and Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) completed the top five before Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) led home the group of GC favourites on the leg-sapping finale to Stage 13.

The Mexican may have missed out on winning Stage 13 but he took four bonus seconds at the finish and two at the Red Bull KM sprint, plus he crossed the line three seconds clear of the chasers. Here’s the new top 5 on GC:

1 Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +38
3. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) +1:18
4. Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1:20
5. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +1:35

Edward Planckaert led it out for Alpecin-Deceunick but he had nothing left in the tank and only Pedersen on his wheel. After the Belgian cracked, Pedersen powered past with Van Aert battling to hold on as Del Toro faded behind. What a finish there – and that’s a fifth win for Lidl-Trek on this Giro. Here’s your top 10 today:

1 Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
2. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
3. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +02
4. Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ) +05
5. Dorion Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
6. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe)
7. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
8. Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)
9. Orluis Aular (Movistar)
10. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

What a finish from the maglia ciclamino, who makes it four wins with an absolutely massive sprint. He held off Wout van Aert and Isaac del Toro, who gave it his best shot but he just could not live with the horsepower of the Dane and Belgian thoroughbreds.

Just eight seconds now for the two leaders, who have started to look over their shoulders. Bardet sits on as Vacek pulls – but the pack are closing in!

Just 10 second now and surely they will be caught as Alpecin commit three riders to the front – working for both Hermans and Groves. Van Aert is right in the mix, ditto Pedersen and Corbyn Strong.

The Czech youngster is driving the pace with Bardet and they still have 16 seconds ahead of the final climb to the line. Visma and Alpecin lead the chase behind while the other puncheurs get into position. Nail-biting stuff.

The gap grows to just over 15 seconds for Vacek and Bardet, the latter looking for the win that would complete his Grand Tour grand slam. For his companion, it would be a maiden Grand Tour stage win.  Visma-Lease a Bike come to the front to lead the chase with Alpecin, but Lidl still have three riders there – including Pedersen and Ciccone.

Mads Pedersen has come to the front just in case – and he’s slotted in beside the pink jersey of Del Toro. But for now it’s Vacek and Bardet up the road with a small gap.

Frenchman Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL) accelerates on the descent and he takes a Lidl-Trek rider with him - Mathias Vacek. The gap is small though, with Ciccone and Carapaz leading the back behind.

Well, well, well… it was the pink jersey who led out the sprint but he sat up to let team-mate Ayuso past to take the six bonus seconds for second place, the Mexican settling for just two seconds in third. Scaroni just held on to take the maximum 10 seconds at the Red Bull KM sprint.

Germani has popped, leaving Scaroni on his own as he tackles the climb to Arcugno (1.7km with ramps of 10%). At the top is the Red Bull sprint with those bonus seconds. But he has just eight seconds. Carapaz latches on the wheel of Del Toro – he knows who’s the man to watch.

They’re back on the front and it’s Filippo Baroncini who is driving the pace along with Igor Arrieta. Ayuso and Del Toro are there, with the pink jersey being shadowed by Roglic. Pidcock has been pushed back a little, while Pedersen is still in the mix, with Van Aert a little further back. Pidcock is actually in 12th wheel with Bernal right behind. They should catch the leaders before the bonus seconds so we’ll have a GC fight there ahead of the finish.

And that’s because the road really narrows on the top of this climb ahead of the rest of the descent. UAE had it under control before Israel-Premier Tech took things up, perhaps paving the way for Corbyn Strong. Primoz Roglic is also sniffing around – more so than we’ve seen so far in this Giro. The gap is still 23 seconds for the two leaders, who came back together after Scaroni waited for Germani.

The fresher of the two leaders rides clear on the finish straight and crosses the line amid the rings of bells with a small gap over his grimacing compatriot. The gap has grown again to over 40 seconds after the peloton eased up on that climb.

Scaroni and Germani have started the short but sharp Monte Berico. The climb to the finish is 1.1km at 7.5% and a maximum gradient of 12%. It’s a dress rehearsal for the finish, although the climb continues for a bit after they cross the line – before the drop down towards the Red Bull KM sprint. Just 40 seconds now for the duo.

It’s the team-mates of Tom Pidcock and Mads Pedersen/Giulio Ciccone (delete as appropriate) who are setting the tempo, with TT winner Daan Hoole now taking it up as they enter the finish circuit in Vicenza. They still trail the two leaders by 50 seconds but those will disappear once they hit Monte Berico and then the wall that is the Red Bull sprint.

Scaroni and Germani have established a 55-second lead on the front now as the regrouping peloton takes stock ahead of the business end of this stage. Lidl-Trek are back on the front, but the growing consensus among the pundits and commentators is that this won’t be a finish for Mads Pedersen – or any of the puncheur sprinters – but for someone like Giulio Ciccone and the other GC riders. A win for Isaac del Toro, then…

More and more riders have latched back onto the peloton now – including Van Aert – and the pace has eased up after Bahrain knock it off. Our Italian duo – Germani and Scaroni – still have 10 seconds but it looks like they don’t have much left in the tank.

Watch this earlier flashpoint from three feedzone if you have a moment...