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

I think this was the descent down towards Ciano d'Enza from Rossena ahead of the climb to Borsea. The mad perspective almost makes it looked photoshopped.

For all the work of Visma-Lease a Bike – with some token support from Q36.5 and Lidl-Trek – on the front of the pack, the advantage of these nine escapees is up to 2’25". They’re a strong and united force, filled with some big engines and experienced rouleurs – and it will take something special to reel them in before the finish today.

Two riders from the break are motivated at the intermediate sprint in Noventa Vicentina, with Mattia Bais (Polti VisitMalta) pipping Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) for the spoils. There’ll be no points left for the ciclamino competition when the peloton comes through roughly 2’20" later.

A reminder of the maglia ciclamino standings, which a certain Dane leads over a Dutch fastman – but it’s far from clear cut, with a few sprints still to come in this Giro…

1. Mads Pedersen 177pts
2. Olav Kooij 105pts
3. Casper van Uden 85pts

It’s so difficult to read, especially with that breakaway up the road and the 12% ramps of the final climb, which may put it out of reach for even the punchiest of sprinters. That said, given his form and fire-power, you have to back Mads Pedersen – although Lidl-Trek could also play the Ciccone or Vacek card. Visma certainly fancy Wout van Aert – hence their presence on the front of the pack – while the GC boys cannot be discounted. Indeed, a certain Isaac del Toro looks very comfortable on these ramped sprint finishes, while Primoz Roglic never shies away from an uphill kick.

***** Pedersen
**** Del Toro
*** Roglic, Van Aert
** Pidcock, Carapaz
* Vacek, Zambanini, Strong, Ciccone, Aular

"This is going to be a real difficult race for everyone – for the breakaway, which is going to have to keep on working, and for the peloton, who have a big chase on their hands." This is the verdict of Sean Kelly, in the comms box for TNT Sports. The gap is 2’09" and this nine-man move is proving itself to be a strong antidote for those who feared a routine bunch affair today.

Mattia Bais leads the break over the summit of the climb to pocket the KOM points that makes absolutely no difference to the blue jersey standings, where Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) is sitting pretty with a lead of over 100 points on Juan Ayuso. The gap is still around the 2’05" mark, and once the riders complete this short descent we’re going to have a long 80km stretch of pan-flat roads.

It’s no surprise to see Q36.5 Pro Cycling lending a hand on the front given the profile of today’s finish, which seems to suit their leader very well. Here’s what he had to say this morning:

The nine leaders are onto the Cat.4 Passo Roverello (4km at 6.5%) with a gap of 2’05" over the largely Visma-led peloton. The boys in yellow have six riders on the front with a rider each from Q36.5 and Lidl-Trek also lending a hand. So, Van Aert, Pedersen or Pidcock for the win, eh?

The teams of the favourites for today’s stage have already come to the front to control the gap. Tom Pidcock’s Q36.5 Pro Cycling have already joined the chase, with the gap not even hitting the two-minute mark. A reminder of the nine riders out ahead:

Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Sven Erik Bystrom and Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar), Luca Mozzato (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious), Chris Hamilton (Picnic PostNL), Mattias Bais (Polti VisitMalta) and Filippo Magli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane).

That’s it – the breakaway has been allowed to go. The peloton has sat up and the advantage of the escapees grows accordingly. These nine riders now have 1’30".

The British champion Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) isn’t happy with missing the move and he’s on the front of the pack and trying to force a counter-move. Lidl-Trek are involved, too, while UAE and Bahrain both come to the front to protect the interests of their GC men – Del Toro, Ayuso and Tiberi. The gap is 32 seconds.

Joining De Bondt, Bystrom and Milesi in this burgeoning move are Luca Mozzato (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain Victorious), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Chris Hamilton (Picnic PostNL), Mattias Bais (Polti VisitMalta) and Filippo Magli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane). Visma continue leading the chase while a huge cluster of riders are clinging onto the back of the pack for dear life…

Could this be the day’s break? Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Sven Erik Bystrom (Groupama-FDJ) and Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar) open up a gap and take some others with them. They open a gap and others are alert to the opportunity and dart clear of the pack in pursuit. The pace is high, as are the tensions behind, with the GC teams trying to put a lid on things but Visma-Lease a Bike not happy with the break’s composition.

They’re riding into a cross headwind at the moment and the peloton is all strung out on these exposed, straight roads on the plain. Still nothing doing as UAE come to the front to try and control things, with their man in pink very visible. The front bunches up accordingly, and that will give the tail-enders the chance to return to the fold.

Decathlon, Arkea, Alpecin, Groupama, Intermarche, Polti, Q36.5, Cofidis and Soudal all have riders trying to force a move, but Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike seem to be marshalling the front and driving a fast tempo in response. There’s more man-marking that your average game of football – but no one can deliver the metaphorical defense-splitting pass.

After that brief hiatus the race has sparked into action with around a dozen riders trying to force a move, and others trying to bridge over. The usual suspects from the usual breakaway teams are sniffing around – but the pace is very high, the peloton is all strung out, and nothing has stuck for now.

Down goes the flag and the race is on… except it isn’t, because there’s no real reaction from the pack. Maybe it’s going to be one of those days.

It’s been just a short neutral zone today. The sun is fighting through the clouds and Tom Pidcock finally has his shoes back on after suffering a slight wardrobe malfunction. Get ready for fireworks.

Here’s what’s store for the riders today: a 180km schlep between Rovigo to Vicenza that’s pan-flat – except when it isn’t. Indeed, four short but sharp Cat.4 climbs pepper the route, the last three coming in the final third of the stage for a total of 1,600m of vertical gain.

The early ascent of the Passo Roverello (4km at 6.5%) could be the springboard for a break if one hasn’t gone already. It’s followed by a long 80km flat stretch where wind could be a factor, as well as the two intermediate sprints.

This is followed by a small hill and then the next climb, up to San Giovanni in Monte. The riders will then pass through the finish area on Monte Berico before a lap out of town via the uphill Red Bull KM sprint at Arcugno – 1.7km up a stinging 10% ramp. Open a gap here and you could well go all the way to the finish, which comes part-way up Monte Berico on a staircase of a climb where Philippe Gilbert won in 2015.

Between them, the two teams have won 50% of all stages so far on this Giro with Visma hitting the target with Van Aert (Stage 9) and Kooij (Stage 12), and Lidl through Pedersen (Stages 1, 3, 5) and Daan Hoole (Stage 10). Given the profile of today’s stage, that win ratio could rise to – reaches for calculator… – 54% in Vicenza.