The 2025 edition of Giro d’Italia started in Albania on May 9 as the first three stages of the race would be contested in Albania, before the race would transfer to Italian soil. Race organizer RCS Sport had designed a 160-kilometer route from Durres to Tirana. The stage route featured a category 2 climb mid-stage and two Category 3 climbs in the stage finale. The stage profile suited the sprinters or a win from a breakaway. The summit of the final climb was eleven kilometers from the finish line.

The 2025 Giro d’Italia peloton featured prominent riders eager to engage in the three-week race to secure stage victories or fight their way to a top position in the general classification. 

The start list included Primoz Roglic (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious), Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers), Thymen Arensman (Ineos-Grenadiers), Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep), Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), and Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team). Prominent sprinters included Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert.

The stage got off to a fast start as many riders and teams were eager to participate in the long breakaway of the day to show their presence in the first Grand Tour of the 2025 season. A five-man group was formed. The breakaway optimists were Alessandro Verre (Arkea B & B Hotels), Alessandro Tonelli (Team Polti-VisitMalta), Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty), Sylvain Moniquet (Cofidis Team), and Manuele Tarozzi of Team VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane. The group fought its way to an advantage of almost two minutes.

UAE Team Emirates co-captain Juan Ayuso hit a wall and crashed in a roundabout with 91 kilometers left of the stage. The Spanish rider needed a wheel replacement before he carried on in the most important race of his 2025 calendar. Max Poole (Team Picnic-PostNL) was also implicated in the crash.

The front group lost valuable time on the Category 2 Gracen climb mid-stage. Its advantage was reduced to a minute mid-climb, while the main peloton was controlled by riders from Team Visma – Lease a Bike in support of Wout van Aert.

Sylvain Moniquet was the first rider to reach the summit of the category 2 Gracen climb following a fierce sprint between the remaining riders in the breakaway as Taco van der Hoorn had been dropped on the climb. Belgian Moniquet secured the most points for the best climber classification. Meanwhile, the advantage of the breakaway had increased to 01:30 minutes.

Despite hard work from the front quartet, its advantage had been reduced to just ten seconds with forty kilometers left of the stage. The riders were approaching the first of the two climbs of the Surrel (Category 3). Riders from Bahrain-Victorious, Lidl-Trek, Cofidis, and Visma-Lease a Bike were leading the main peloton.

The breakaway optimists were caught and riders from Lidl-Trek moved to the front of the race on the Surrel climb. Thirty-eight kilometers remained. 

Lidl-Trek riders set a fast pace on the climb in support of Mads Pedersen and several riders were dropped from the peloton. The fast pace caused more riders than expected to get dropped. Lorenzo Fortunato briefly moved to the front of the peloton to secure the points for the best climber classification at the summit.

The peloton – still headed by Lidl-Trek riders – approached the Surrel climb for the second time. It would be downhill all the way from the summit to the finish line. But the Category 3 climb (6.9 kilometers, 4.5% average gradient) had to be conquered first.

EF Education-EasyPost brought team captain Richard Carapaz to the front on the climb. Lidl-Trek riders were still leading. 17.5 kilometers remained.

Kaden Groves was suffering on the climb and eventually lost contact with the peloton. The sprinter was not having his best day though he had been a favorite for the stage victory before the start. The fast pace set by Lidl-Trek was having a significant effect as Mads Pedersen’s competitors in a possible sprint finish were getting dropped.

Mads Pedersen and general classification favorites were spotted near the front. Meanwhile, Wout van Aert was unable to stay close to Pedersen but clung to the back of the reduced peloton group. Thymen Arensman (Ineos-Grenadiers) surprisingly got dropped as did Derek Gee.

Mikel Landa and Antonio Tiberi crashed hard on the fast descent with five kilometers remaining. Landa was suffering and had fallen hard. Mikel Landa was later forced to abandon the race because of his serious injuries. The Soudal-QuickStep team will be racing the rest of the Giro without its captain.

The speed at the front of the race was intense with three kilometers left. Several teams were fighting hard to be at the front for the final sprint. 

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe riders were leading for Roglic with two kilometers left. Lidl-Trek riders were immediately behind them. Jayco-Alula joined the front.

Lidl-Trek riders were first in the final turn. Mads Pedersen launched his final sprint towards the finish line. Wout van Aert fought hard to catch the Great Dane. 

Mads Pedersen is the winner of stage 1 of Giro d’Italia 2025 for Team Lidl-Trek. Wout van Aert finished second, while Aular Orluis completed the stage podium for Team Movistar.

“This stage is my favorite now,” stage winner Mads Pedersen told Roadcycling.com before being celebrated on the podium. “To win the stage and go into the pink jersey is amazing for me, especially after such great teamwork. Our plan was to make it a smaller group before the sprint, and we succeeded. I have great respect for Wout van Aert and he’s a rider to keep an eye out for. Today we won,” Pedersen explained.

Mads Pedersen will wear the pink jersey as race leader in stage 2 of Giro d’Italia 25. Stage 2 will be a time trial in the streets of Tirana.

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