Mikel Landa withdraws after crash from Giro d’Italia, Mads Pedersen takes the lead

Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has won the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, held between Durrës and Tirana over 160 kilometres on Albanian soil, the host of this year’s ‘Grande Partenza’.

Pedersen won the stage after a dramatic crash by Spanish hopeful Mikel landa (Soudal Quick-Step). maglia rosa, defeating Belgian Wout Van Aert (Team Visma Lease a Bike), second place.| Lease a Bike), who came second.

Lidl Trek was the undisputed winner of this first stage, as they controlled the sprint finish with speed and precision. Corsa Rosa. They were relentless in their pace up the Surrel Hill, the third-category hill with gradients that reached up to 13%. This eliminated several pure sprinters from the race, and also reduced the competition Mads Pedersen who benefited from the team’s hard work.

The Dane had a successful Classics season with victories at Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. He also won the classification points at Paris-Nice. This marks his 51st professional win—one of the most meaningful, as it validated the team’s dominant performance. Lidl-Trek managed to drop heavyweights such as Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), as well as key riders like Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) and Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers).

Pedersen, who outsprinted a fast-finishing van Aert with some daylight between them—despite appearances of a tight finish—took the stage he had marked in red. He ran in a straight, unwavering line while hugging the barriers. Pedersen’s performance will not be the only thing in the spotlight, since the 2025 Giro d’Italia was sparked by the crash of Spain’s Mikel (Soudal Quick-Step) and his withdrawal.

The Basque rider is struck by misfortune once again. He veered from the line on the final descent, about 5 kms before the finish. He hit a kerb and a lamppost, falling almost half a metre. Landa was already lying on the ground when the cameras arrived, and he lay there in pain, for several minutes, before being carried away in an ambulance.

Mikel Landa: No hope for him

Landa, who was in top form and prepared to take on the Giro with a strong team, has been eliminated at the first hurdle. Jay Vine from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG, a key supporter for Juan Ayuso of the Spanish squad, was also in the crash. Ayuso also suffered a fall earlier in the day—this one far from the finish and with no apparent consequences—though it forced him to exert himself early on to rejoin the peloton, where he remained discreet afterwards.

The second stage of the Giro d’Italia of this year begins today with a 13.7-kilometre individual time trial through the streets in Tirana. Albania’s capital is embracing the Giro. Corsa Rosa. There could be another change in the overall classification with a possible contender taking over the maglia rosa. Mikel, who had made this Giro one of his major goals for the season, will no longer be a contender.

WHERE TO WATCH THE GIRO D’ITALIA ON TV IN SPAIN

Eurosport and Max offer subscription services to watch the Giro d’Italia today in Spain.
Eurosport 1 broadcasts all 21 stages. Corsa Rosa The entire event, beginning shortly before the start of each stage and ending with the final classification.

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