Mads Pedersen Wins Thrilling Stage 5 at Giro d'Italia

Mads Pedersen wins Stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia in a photo finish, extending his overall lead. Get the latest cycling news.

Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek won his third stage of the Giro d'Italia in a thrilling photo finish, edging out Edoardo Zambanini after a grueling final 15 kilometers.

The stage came alive in the finale as UAE Team Emirates attempted to unsettle Pedersen on the hilly run-in to Matera. However, the Dane held firm, producing a punchy finish to claim victory.

Mads Pedersen makes it THREE wins in the first five Giro d'Italia stages! #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/fnYAsmo9jr

— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) May 14, 2025

Despite visibly struggling, Pedersen managed to rejoin the front of the race in the final 500 meters. Thanks to excellent work from his teammate Mathias Vacek, Pedersen launched his sprint from the front with 250 meters to go.

Edoardo Zambanini of Bahrain Victorious showed impressive speed, but the line came too quickly for him to outsprint Pedersen. Tom Pidcock took third place in the truncated sprint.

Pedersen explained: “This was an incredibly hard 20 kilometres and I suffered a lot. It was really tough and I wasn't sure (I had won). 

“I had a really hard time and I used a lot of energy to move up to (Mathias) Vacek's wheel, and luckily I had enough for the win.”

With his third stage win, Pedersen extended his general classification lead to 17 seconds over pre-race favorite Primož Roglič, thanks to bonus seconds gained at the finish line. Mathias Vacek trailed another 7 seconds behind.

Pedersen's achievement makes him one of the rare riders in the 21st century to win three stages within the first five stages of a Grand Tour.

🚨Mads Pedersen announces a LIFETIME contract with Lidl-Trek❗️

He will ride the rest of his professional career with the team 🤩 pic.twitter.com/s6ctNO1nzB

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) May 14, 2025

“I wasn't sure at all if I had won,” Pedersen added.

“Three wins in five stages and winning with the pink jersey is insane.”

Earlier, a breakaway formed, consisting of Italians Giosue Epis, Lorenzo Milesi, and Davide Bais. However, the trio never gained more than 2.5 minutes on the peloton, which was tightly controlled by Lidl-Trek.

The breakaway riders took advantage of the intermediate sprints to secure key points, while overall leader Mads Pedersen picked up the remaining points, further extending his lead in the sprint classification.

With 42 kilometers remaining, Bais and Milesi broke away from Epis, but their attempt was short-lived as they were caught with 13.2 kilometers to go.

The peloton will now head to Naples for Thursday's stage, a 227km ride from Potenza expected to culminate in a sprint finish.