
Unstoppable Pedersen beats Van Aert in uphill sprint to win Giro stage 13
May 23 (Reuters) - Mads Pedersen won his fourth stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia when he sprinted to victory on Friday's stage 13, beating Wout van Aert to the line while Isaac del Toro maintained his overall lead to retain the pink jersey.
As the riders neared the finish of the 180 km ride from Rovigo to Vicenza, Pedersen was fourth when he launched his bid for victory on the uphill sprint as Van Aert stayed close on his wheel.
Del Toro had done well to earn bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint but the 21-year-old did not have the legs to challenge the sprint heavyweights as he settled for third, leaving Pedersen and Van Aert to battle it out for victory.
Ultimately, it was Pedersen who powered through to the finish to take the win by less than a bike length even as Van Aert tried his best to make a last-ditch lunge to overtake him.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Cat Ferguson breaks new ground to take Tour of Britain lead after crash-packed stage
The 19-year-old home rider Cat Ferguson prevailed in foul conditions at the finish to claim victory on a crash-packed stage three of the Women's Tour of Britain, and with it the general classification lead. Ferguson (Movistar) from Skipton, North Yorkshire, surged clear across the cobbles in Kelso to lead home a British one-two in front of Josie Nelson (Picnic-PostNL). New Zealand's Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) finished third, with Dutch rider Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) in fourth. It propels Ferguson past previous leader Kristen Faulkner – who finished more than three minutes down – and into the overall lead with just Sunday's final stage to come. Wollaston trails by just three seconds in the provisional general classification, with Swinkels a further nine seconds back, and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) fourth, 40 seconds behind Ferguson. The stage was marred by a host of crashes with a number forced to abandon, among them previous race leader Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal). Ferguson prevailed in a frantic finale to claim her first UCI Women's World Tour stage victory. This report will update soon


Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Norway dare to dream big again after a quarter century of heartbreak
June 7 (Reuters) - After a quarter of a century of near misses and heartbreak, Norway's rout of Italy in their World Cup qualifier has reignited the country's hope of a return to international football's biggest stage. There was little doubt that Norway were the better team on Friday as they easily dominated Italy in Oslo, pushing on until the scoreboard read 3-0 and taking a big step towards next year's World Cup. For supporters of the Norwegian team, the result has sparked a glimmer of hope in hearts that have been broken many times over the past decades. Norway have not participated in an international football tournament since the European Championship in 2000, which was hosted in Belgium and the Netherlands. There have been many close calls since then, with the margins consistently going against the squad, but now there is a shift in attitude after Norway dominated against the four-times world champions. "I am 100% sure", former Norway, Denmark and Iceland coach Age Hareide told newspaper VG when asked if Norway would go to the World Cup. Norway are in pole position in Group I with nine points out of nine and a goal surplus of 10. Israel, Estonia and Moldova are the other nations in the group. The Football Meets Data statistics platform gives Norway a 77% chance of winning the group and qualifying directly for the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Key striker Erling Haaland, who put himself on the scoresheet against Italy, agreed with the statistics. "We are too good not to play in championships. I will play both the World Cup and the European Championship. Not to put pressure on myself but I will," he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. While World Cup fever in Norway is reaching a point not seen since 1998, when Norway last participated, manager Stale Solbakken, wise from experience, is lowering expectations. "It is a coach's misfortune that I have to concentrate on the next match, so you can enjoy yourselves and ask those questions. I would have liked to say that it was 100% certain but I can't," he told reporters after Friday's game.


Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
June 7 (Reuters) - Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway. Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany. A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride. It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half. "Enough!" screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the "World Cup is already at risk". Next year's World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there. Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi's chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France. The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica's front-page headline "Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns" hints at the frightening possibilities ahead. Italy's loss came less than a week after Inter Milan's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year's dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership.