Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen has reclaimed the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia, clinching his second stage victory in the race’s third leg.
Pedersen, riding for Lidl-Trek, outpaced Corbin Strong by half a wheel in a tightly contested bunch sprint, overcoming unexpected obstacles including a dog and several goats on the course.
A dog darted across the road in the final kilometres, narrowly avoiding the peloton. Earlier, a group of goats caused a stir when they crossed the course, forcing riders to take evasive action.
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The stage was marked by an early six-man breakaway, which the peloton reeled in with 16 kilometres remaining, setting the stage for a sprint finish. Pedersen’s teammates, Giulio Ciccone and Mathias Vacek, provided a crucial lead-out, enabling him to launch a successful early sprint.
This victory propels Pedersen back into the overall lead, nine seconds ahead of Primož Roglič and 14 seconds clear of Vacek. He also leads the points classification with 54 points.
Among the Australian contingent, Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) continues to impress, finishing with the main bunch and maintaining ninth place overall, 36 seconds behind the leader.
Jay Vine, recovering from a stage-one crash, delivered a commendable performance in the stage-two time trial, finishing third. Luke Plapp, however, still appears to be feeling the effects of his earlier fall, trailing nearly six-and-a-half minutes off the pace.
The Giro now transitions from Albania to Italy, with a rest day before stage four – a flat 189-kilometre route from Alberobello to Lecce. The race concludes in Rome on June 1.