Mads Pedersen bludgeoned his way to stage-win number four of the Giro d’Italia with a biceps and brawn uphill sprint on the Monte Berico.
Lidl-Trek’s Danish demolisher was able to out-muscle a resurgent Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the brutal 12 percent finale of Friday’s 13th stage, with pink jersey Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG) reasserting his GC authority in third.
Del Toro expanded his lead over teammate Juan Ayuso to 38 seconds after taking bonuses at the Red Bull sprint and blasting 2 seconds clear of the bunch at the finish line.
Podium outsiders Adam Yates (UAE Emirates), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), and Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) all lost seconds in a wildly aggressive final to the stage and its furious finish on the Monte Berico.
Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) edged into the top-10 overall in the day’s only GC reshuffle.
Pre-race favorite Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) looked spritely all through the closing kilometers, but missed out to an imperious Del Toro at the Red Bull bonuses and reduced stage sprint.
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The Pedersen power show
Pedersen’s fourth win Friday was perhaps his most impressive of the Giro.
The 29-year-old looked like he was suffering through the final hour of the race, and it seemed like Lidl-Trek was pulling for Giulio Ciccone or Mathias Vacek.
But Pedersen is no doubt on the form of his life.
He opened the turbos early out of a reduced bunch and ripped every sinew to deny Van Aert with his huge uphill sprint.
“I went a bit earlier than I wanted to, but on such a hard uphill final like this, it’s sometimes OK to go early – everyone has burning legs in the last 100 meters,” Pedersen said at the finish.
“I’m overwhelmed about winning again, it’s an insane grand tour,” said Pedersen, who now has a huge lead in the ciclamino competition.
Del Toro was equally impressive Friday in his fifth day in the maglia rosa.
The 21-year-old was quick to move at the Red Bull sprint and wasn’t scared to swing at classics kings Pedersen and Van Aert in the final.
“To try, you need to believe you can do it,” Del Toro said of his kick for third. “We were in position with the team, but those two guys are faster and stronger.
“We try to win, but with this mentality, it’s OK to lose.”
Giro d’Italia stage 13 results:
Very fast, very furious
A break of nine got away in a windy start of the stage Friday and worked well to keep the lead in what was one of the fastest starts in Giro d’Italia history.
The average speed after 120km was 49.9kph before it began to slow in the hillier back-half of the course.
It was UAE Emirates-XRG who inevitably ruined the breakaway’s chances.
Del Toro’s wreckin’ crew began to pile on when the climbs started at around 55km to go, and the rest of the GC and puncheur teams soon joined the fun.
Ineos Grenadiers cranked the pressure so hard into the stage’s biggest climb – the San Giovanni in Monte at 45km to go – that the race briefly split into bits.
Del Toro and Roglič made the lead group, but Pedersen, Ayuso, and Simon Yates (Vima-LAB) were among many key names who missed out.
UAE Emirates on a mission, mops up intermediate bonuses
The bunch came back together within a few kilometers, but the aggression didn’t stop.
Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) got away with breakaway survivor Lorenzo Germani (Groupama FDJ) over the summit of the San Giovanni and they held a decent gap.
Yet the commitment to the Red Bull sprint and stage win from UAE Emirates was absolute. It was a matter of “when” the attackers would be caught, rather than “if.”
Ayuso and Del Toro blazed out of the bunch at the “Red Bull Kilometer” 1okm from the line to scoop 4 and 2 bonus seconds respectively, with last-man-standing Scaroni getting the winning 6.
Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL) and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) rolled the dice before the brutal Monte Berico hilltop finale, but again, the GC teams were hell-bent on ensuring the upward bunch sprint.
UAE Emirates co-captain Ayuso nursing a nasty knee
Ayuso revealed Friday morning he’s still suffering the aftereffects of his crash on the sterrato last weekend.
The Spaniard received stitches in his knee on Sunday but told the press that they opened during his TT effort this week. He’s been experiencing some swelling in the days since.
“It’s getting better day by day,” Ayuso said before the stage. “I would have liked not to have this pain, but you have to know how to live with it and try to make it better every day.
“For the moment, I’m enduring the pain.”
Ayuso won’t have benefited from much healing time during his intense day in the saddle Friday. His knee might see a chance for recovery in Saturday’s sprinter stage.
Up next at the Giro d’Italia: A spin to Slovenia for the sprinters
The Giro d’Italia hops over the border into Rogla territory for stage 14 on Saturday.
This super-flat spin accumulates a measly 1,100m total gain before it crosses into Slovenia for two loops of central Nova Gorica.
There are a couple of molehill climbs inside the final 40km, but it’s the sinuous finale that will pose the main obstacle for Olav Kooij, Kaden Groves, Casper van Uden, and the rest of the bunch sprinters.
Kooij and co. will want to make the most of the opportunity Saturday, because they won’t see another chance until stage 18 next Thursday.