Giro d’Italia 2025 reached Italian soil after the first three stages, which had been contested in Albania. Monday’s first rest day of this year’s first Grand Tour had been used to transport riders, team trucks, and various race caravan gear to southern Italy, where the race would continue.

The race would recommence in the Puglia region – the heel of Italy – where the riders journeyed south of the Bari port region. Race organizer RCS Sport had designed stage 4 of Giro d’Italia as a 189-kilometer ride from Alberobello (Pietramadre) to Lecce. 

In today’s stage 4 of Giro d’Italia 2025, the riders in the Giro peloton would travel along the coast and through rural territory marked by olive fields and the small historic trulli huts with conical rock-covered roofs, scattered among olive trees. The trulli are on the Unesco World Herritage list and no less than 50,000 trulli huts are found in the extremely warm and poor rural territory. 

General classification leader and two-time stage winner Mads Pedersen was looking pretty in pink for his Lidl-Trek team at the start in Alberobello under sunny skies. The Danish fast man was obviously hoping for a sprint finish in today’s stage, following his favorite rest day recovery scheme of ice bathing with his yellow rubber duck. Other sprint aces vying for a stage win today included Olav Kooij (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Kayden Groves (Team Alpecin-Deceuninck).

With most riders perhaps exhausted from the intense action of the first three stages or having been lulled into sleep by yesterday’s rest day, only a single rider found the initiative necessary to engage in a breakaway effort.

Francisco Munoz set out on a solo breakaway for Team Polti-VisitMalta and fought his way to a lead of more than four minutes in the flat coastal terrain. The wind conditions were of benefit to the Spanish rider, while the main peloton was spearheaded by riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck who were keeping the breakaway under control in support of their sprinter Kaden Groves. Riders from Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe were monitoring the performance closely, ready to support as needed.

A crash occurred in the main peloton with 125 kilometers left of today’s stage. The crash almost brought down race leader Mads Pedersen. Canada’s Nickolas Zukowsky appeared to have suffered a fractured collarbone and would likely not be able to contribute to his Q36.5 team in the rest of the Giro.

The small rural villages along the route were clad in pink to celebrate the arrival of the Giro d’Italia while the inhabitants showed their gratitude and support.

Sole attacker Francisco Munos had an advantage of approximately 02:30 minutes with 100 kilometers remaining. His lead was down to two minutes with 75 kilometers to the finish line.

The riders and the Giro caravan passed through small villages where umbrellas in the Italian colors were hanging above the streets to honor their country.

Team Polti-VisitMalta’s long breakaway adventure ended when Munoz was caught with 57 kilometers remaining.

Several teams were eager to contribute to the effort at the front of the peloton with 43 kilometers left of today’s stage 4. Riders from Ineos-Grenadiers, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Groupama-FDJ, EF Education-EasyPost, and Alpecin-Deceuninck were spotted.

Soren Kragh Andersen crashed at high speed from within the peloton. The Lidl-Trek lieutenant would not be able to assist team captain Mads Pedersen as lead-out man in a sprint to the finish line. 

The final twenty kilometers turned out to be complicated and frustrating. Narrowing roads, roundabouts and road furniture combined with high velocity proved a problematic cocktail. Some riders got dropped from the peloton – including Lidl-Trek GC captain Giulio Ciccone who was not feeling welcome on the Italian home tarmac in and around Lecce. The situation was both nervous and hectic – hopefully no further crashes would occur in the stage finale.

Seven kilometers remained and all the sprinter teams were gearing up for a mass sprint finish. The GC teams were also fighting for position at the front to protect their GC captains against time losses. Ineos-Grenadiers riders were leading the peloton.

Tudor Pro Cycling Team moved to the front of the race with six kilometers left. Decathlon-AG2R riders joined the Ineos-Grenadiers boys. The speed was intense. 

Five kilometers remained, then three. We were nearing the culmination of stage 4.

Alpecin-Deceuninck riders took over control of the peloton three kilometers from the finish. Visma-Lease a Bike replaced them.

The sprinters unleashed their powers in the final kilometer and Casper van Uden proved the fastest man across the finish line. Casper van Uden has won stage 4 of Giro d’Italia 2025 for Team Picnic-PostNL in 04:02:21. Olav Kooij finished second for Team Visma-Lease a Bike, while Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) completed the stage podium ahead of Mads Pedersen.

“I didn’t win alone, we did it as a team,” stage winner van Uden told Roadcycling.com. “I didn’t have to take any win until 200 meters to go. We’ve worked really well on the leadout this season and the guys did a perfect job for me, and it feels great to be able to give them something back. Sometimes I have to find my self-belief and today I succeeded,” van Uden explained.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen remains general classification leader before tomorrow’s stage 5. Primoz Roglic is second for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, while Mathias Vacek is third and Brandon McNulty fourth.

This year’s Giro continues Wednesday with stage 5 in hilly terrain on a route between Ceglie Messapica to Matera.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete news and coverage from Giro d’Italia 2025.