Giro d'Italia 2025, the updated ranking after stage 3: Pedersen scores a double and takes back the pink jersey

Vlora (Albania), 11 May 2025 - The stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 ends the adventure in Albania and it does so in continuity with what happened at the beginning of the same: it wins again Mads pedersen and, just like two days ago, the victory also earned him the pink jersey, snatched from a Primois Roglic very happy (for now) to get rid of it. These two converging objectives also involve the teams, respectively a very generous Lidl Trek , Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe: the image of the two flagships side by side talking to each other at the moment when it was time to start chasing the fugitives of the second hour is emblematic, bilbao hair e Lorenzo Fortunato, with the latter being good at getting the blue jersey. Even before that there had been another attack, in which among others we had seen Joshua Tarling, the youngest winner of a time trial at Giro d'Italia: a recent record honoured to the fullest, before the surrender in what was the first real climb of the edition, which not by chance actually lit the first fireworks in a stage in whose top 10 there were well 6 Italians. After the first day of rest, good for the transfer, the Corsa pink will start again fromItaly and to be precise from Alberobello (Madrestone), starting point of the stage 4 which will end instead in Lecce after 189 km quite rideable: there is a GPM scheduled, but in the fourth category and at the start of a route that winks at the fast wheels of the group.

The chronicle of stage 3

The last act of the Giro d'Italia 2025 in Albania are the 160 km da Walloon a Walloon, with 2 GPM scheduled, one of which is second category, and 2.800 meters of altitude difference. As expected, thanks to a very nervous route, the hunt for a good escape begins from the first pedal strokes. In front are placed Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Chris Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), in turn chased by Dries de Bondt (Decathlon AG2R The World Team) e Alessandro Tonelli (Team Polti VisitMalta): 133 km from the finish line, mission accomplished for the two, who thus join the lead of the race, with their own Tonelli who passes first at the intermediate sprint of GjormThe first climb of the day is that of Shakelles (5,3 km with an average slope of 4,3%), whose summit rewards Donovan. Another jolt in a phase of the race that was anything but spectacular, except for the invasion of the road by some goats that almost caused him to fall. DionSmith (Intermarché-Wanty), is the Red Bull Km di Chimaera: De Bondt pocket 6" of discount, Donovan takes some 4" e Germans he gets it 2". The Belgian is suffering on a climb not marked as a GP, just like the many riders who puncture on this very stretch, including Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), and the pure sprinters, with Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), Caden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) e Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) to lead the pack of riders who break away. Just before the intermediate sprint of Gjilek, cut first by Hamilton sprinting ahead of Tonelli, the surrender of comes De Bondt, slowed down by a puncture. The road starts to rise again on the climb of Qafa and Llogarase (10,5 km with an average slope of 7,4% and maximum of 12%): the first shot is from Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team), immediately rebuffed by bilbao hair (Bahrain Victorious) e Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step) just when Wout van aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) loses contact.

Meanwhile, the front is in serious difficulty Tarling, taken up and detached from the three counterattackers, who become two when garofoli spring. Hamilton e Tonelli they remain alone in command before cashing in on the hook Fortunato e Bilbao, all chased at a distance by a stubborn Germans. He then gives in Hamilton and only the ones left in front Bilbao e Fortunato, who is the first to cross the summit, becoming the new blue jersey. Meanwhile, in the group, we see tom pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), with Julius Ciccone e Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) to his wheel in stopper position: in fact this attempt is short-lived. Once the altimetric difficulties are over, a long-distance challenge begins between the two leaders and the group, pulled by a Lidl Trek all at the service of Mads pedersen (Lidl-Trek), which dreams of regaining the pink jersey. The image of the flagship of the Lidl Trek which accompanies that of the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe: at the centre of the discussions was probably that symbol of primacy of which Primois Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) would like to temporarily give up and instead is of great interest to the Americans. With 18 km to go, aided by the strong headwind, the attack ends Fortunato e Bilbao and everything seems to be preparing for a sprint, albeit with reduced ranks. And so it is, before the second danger of the day dictated by the crossing of an animal, a dog this time: everything is set for the success, with the annexed return in the pink jersey, of Pedersen, and in fact that's exactly what happens.

Stage 3 arrival order

1) Mads Pedersen (LTK) in 3h49'47"

2) Corbin Strong (IPT) st

3) Orluis Aular (MOV) st

4) Brandon Rivera (IGD) st

5) Edoardo Zambanini (TBV) st

6) Stefano Oldani (COF) st

7) Andrea Vendrame (DAT) st

8) Martin Marcellusi (VBF) st

9) Filippo Fiorelli (VBF) st

10) Christian Scaroni (XAT) st

General classification Giro d'Italia 2025

1) Mads Pedersen (LTK) in 7h42'10"

2) Primoz Roglic (RBH) +9"

3) Mathias Vacek (LTK) +14"

4) Brandon McNulty (UAD) +21"

5) Juan Ayuso (UAD) +25"

6) Isaac Del Toro (UAD) +26"

7) Max Poole (TPP) +33"

8) Antonio Tiberi (TBV) +34"

9) Michael Storer (TUD) +36"

10) Giulio Pellizzari (RBH) +40"