Giro d'Italia, Pedersen show: poker arrives in Vicenza. Del Toro stays in pink and gains seconds

VICENZA – Mads Pedersen ’s poker is on one of the toughest arrivals of the entire Giro d’Italia. The 10% km, towards the Santuario di Monte Berico, above Vicenza, did not discourage the Dane, who thus reaches the quota of four stages won. A “world” arrival: the cyclamen jersey beat, as in the sprint in Tirana, at the end of the first stage, Wout Van Aert. Behind the two is the pink jersey Isaac Del Toro, who collects other bonus seconds (6 in total, also considering the Red Bull km), then all the other men in the standings. Beautiful finale: Vacek and Bardet are caught 400 meters from the finish. Perdersen’s sprint is burning. Tiberi is 7th, Ciccone 14th. The new ranking: Del Toro is in pink (gained an additional 3” thanks to a hole on the finish) with 38” on Ayuso and 1'18” on Tiberi. Ciccone is 7th at 2'20”.

The Chronicle

After the start in Rovigo, nine riders set off: Mozzato, Miholjevic, De Bondt, Bystrom, Germani, Milesi, Hamilton, Bais and Magli. A winding route, with many ups and downs. Germani and then Scaroni, who had come up from the main group, isolated themselves in front. The two resisted until the Red Bull Km, when Scaroni took 6” ahead of Ayuso (4”) and Del Toro (2”). On the subsequent descent that leads to the foot of the final climb, Bardet and Vacek attacked: the Czech did most of the work, but it was not enough. At 400 the sprint began and it was Pedersen who landed the poker.