Van Uden wins sprint as Pedersen retains race lead
Casper van Uden claimed his first Grand Tour stage win by sprinting to victory in the Giro d'Italia.
The Dutchman held off compatriots Olav Kooij and Maikel Zijlaard to claim the victory in a chaotic finish to stage four in Lecce.
Mads Pedersen, who won stages one and three, finished fourth and retains the leader's pink jersey.
However, the 29-year-old's lead over Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic has been cut by two seconds, with the Slovenian now seven seconds off first place.
Pedersen's Lidl-Trek team-mate Mathias Vacek is a further seven seconds back in third.
The Giro d'Italia's race for pink is anyone's guess
Stage four marked the first day of racing in Italy following three days in Albania and Monday's rest day.
Spain's Francisco Munoz spent 140km off the front after making an early solo breakaway and led by more than four minutes before being reeled back in with 55km to go in a race controlled by the sprint teams.
Race leader Pedersen was forced to chase back to catch the peloton after being caught up in a crash, alongside team-mate Soren Kragh Andersen, with 22km to go.
On a Lecce circuit full of bottleneck turns, van Uden's Picnic PostNL team pinched the lead from Alpecin-Deceuninck, riding for Kaden Groves, in the final kilometre, before the 23-year-old opened up a long sprint to victory.
"I didn't do it alone. I did it with the whole team," van Uden said. "I didn't have to take any wind until 200m to go.
"I know I have a good long sprint, so I went for it and hoped for the best."
In the general classification, Isaac del Toro leapfrogged Juan Ayuso into fifth place. Great Britain's Max Poole remains seventh, 33 seconds behind Pedersen.
Wednesday's stage five is a 151km hilly stage from Ceglie Messapica to Matera.
Casper Van Uden (Picnic PostNL) - 4hrs 2mins 21secs
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) - same time
Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Max Kanter (XDS Astana)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers)
Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling)
Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) 11hrs 44mins 31secs
Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +7secs
Mathias Vacek (Cze/Lidl-Trek) +14secs
Brandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +21secs
Isaac del Toro (Mex/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +22secs
Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +25secs
Max Poole (GB/Team Picnic PostNL) +33secs
Antonio Tiberi (Ita/Bahrain Victorious) +34secs
Michael Storer (Aus/Tudor Pro-cycling Team) +36secs
Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +40secs
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ab-Soul Keeps Hip-Hop's Spirit Alive At Red Bull BC One
On Sunday (May 18), over a dozen of the country's most talented breakers arrived in Denver to leave it all on the floor at the Red Bull BC One Cypher to wrap its 2025 U.S. season. In total, 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls — including Olympians B-Girl Logistx and B-Girl Kate — united to compete for a chance to advance to the world finals in Tokyo later this year, but first, they had to battle one another. Camaraderie is shared between the dancers as they stretch and get in the zone, but on center stage, the mutual respect is channeled into elite routines. Ahead of the main event, Red Bull hosted the competitors as well as a select group of media and content creators and offered a warm welcome into its world of breaking. This included movement workshops, workout classes, and crew battles. At the Red Bull Camp, a new 2v2 format called Breakfighter was introduced, pairing breakers with gamers in a crossover clash featuring the iconic Japanese game, Street Fighter. At stake, a chance to win a trip to the Tokyo finals. The event also featured Salt Break City, an all-girl battle that paired B-girls with all-style dancers, uniting the power of breaking with the versatility and style of street dancing. Once it was time for the BC One, the camp closed shop and the activity moved to the city's Mission Ballroom to host hundreds of ticketholders excited for the competition. Each round grew more intense as one by one, breakers were knocked out of the competition, with many of the battles close. Judged by Red Bull BC One All-Star B-Boy Taisuke, B-Girl Beta, and OG B-Boy Ken Swift of the Rock Steady Crew, each dancer was ranked on creativity, musicality, and flow. A performance from Ab-Soul kept the Hip-Hop-centered event culturally grounded as he repped California with 'All That' and 'Do Better.' 'Man you know im KRS-2,' joked the Soul Burger performer with VIBE before taking the stage. 'This is what I really came to do. I really came to represent and keep the spirit alive. Keep the roots healthy as it [Hip-Hop] grows older. You know what I'm saying, with break dancing being one of the pillars. So I'm grateful to be a part of it.' In the end, B-Girl Logistix and B-Boy Hijck rose above their competitors and earned their respective spots in the finals. 'What's important is how you put your fingerprint on this dance,' explained Hijck, the now two-time Red Bull BC One Cypher USA champion, in a statement. 'It's not just about signature moves – it's about signature style. I can't wait to represent [the] USA, but most importantly, represent Hawaii.' 'I feel proud of myself for navigating life while training for this battle,' added B-Girl Logistx, also the 2021 Red Bull BC One World Champion. 'I am grateful for this win and the people who supported me on this journey. I'm ready for Tokyo, but this time I am working my way up from the National Final. In order to do this opportunity justice, I have to win in Tokyo.' Take a look inside the Red Bull BC One Cypher below. More from Ab-Soul Speaks On Joey Bada$$ And West Coast Rap Feud: "It's A Sport" Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul Trade Bars Amid Coastal Rhyme War With Ray Vaughn Ab-Soul Teases Possible Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Involvement In Cryptic Post Best of 10 Rap Albums Snubbed Of The Grammys' Album Of The Year Award 21 Black Entertainers Who Are Almost EGOT Winners 11 Black-Owned Games To Play At The Next Function Or Kick Back
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Blow for Man United as Romano & Ornstein confirm managerial appointment
Bayer Leverkusen are finalising their agreement with Erik ten Hag, and it could spell bad news for Manchester United and their transfer plans. The Dutchman has been on the shelf since being sacked by the Red Devils last October following a poor start to the season. Nevertheless, he now appears destined to resume his managerial career in Germany. Advertisement In recent hours, several sources have reported an imminent accord between the 55-year-old and Leverkusen, including top journalists Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein. But unfortunately for Man Utd, this development will likely scuttle their plan to offload one of the deadwood. Man United desperate to sell Jadon Sancho Sancho has failed to impress in a Chelsea shirt. (Photo by) As reported earlier today, INEOS are aiming to raise £100 million by selling Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho. Moreover, a new report from The Independent identified Leverkusen as a potential destination for Sancho who appears unlikely to stay at Chelsea. The Blues have an obligation to buy the winger at the end of the season for £25 million, but appear intent on escaping through the back door by paying a £5 million penalty to relieve themselves of this clause. Ten Hag's appointment will close the door on Sancho's Leverkusen move Leverkusen represented a promising opportunity for Man United to offload an unwanted player. And for Sancho, this was his chance to reignite his career on German soil, having enjoyed two prosperous spells at Borussia Dortmund. Advertisement Alas, the arrival of Ten Hag will scupper the plan, as the latter had a massive public fallout with the England international during their time at Man United, particularly in September 2023. This led to the winger's omission from the squad, and subsequent return to BVB on loan in January 2024. The two were briefly reunited last summer, but the rift seemed irreparable. Hence, a happy reunion at Leverkusen is highly unlikely at this stage, which means that United will have to resume their search for a new buyer.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Robert Horry had some blunt comments about Luka Doncic's defense
Robert Horry had some blunt comments about Luka Doncic's defense There has been plenty of criticism directed at Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic lately, and a good amount of it has centered around his lackluster one-on-one defense. While he can be an effective team defender at times (he averaged a career-high 1.8 steals a game this season), he has trouble staying in front of an opponent who has the basketball in his hands. Some of his defensive troubles could be attributed to his lack of conditioning, but there is also a feeling that he simply needs to adopt a different mentality on that end of the floor. Former Laker Robert Horry went on "The Dan Patrick Show" and not only said that the Slovenian needs to improve his defense, but that unless he does, his problems on that end of the floor will negate his greatness on offense (h/t Fadeaway World). "It's so weird that people talk about his weight, but yet he's still giving people 30 points," Horry said. "I tell people, I don't care about his weight. You need to get him in a gym and teach him how to play defense. "You know, that's the thing, because you can give someone 40 points, but if you're giving up 35 on the other end, those 40 points don't mean anything. "Because it's about wanting to. You know, he's never had to because he's always had people behind him to erase his mistakes. You think about now, there was no AD, no center. Nobody erased his mistakes in L.A. "He getting blown by, you know, they're getting layups. You know, if you watch stretches of games where Luka just stayed in front, because he's a big body, the offensive players are bouncing off him. You just stay in front. "And I think that is the key. And I think also he needs to want to play defense, because so many times he saves his energy for the offensive end. "I tell people all the time, if you can move your feet and get past and blow by people, that means you have some fast-twitch muscles. You can move pretty fast. So there's no reason you cannot play better defense on the other. You just got to want to. And I think a lot of times he doesn't want to. He'd rather just point." Opposing teams have taken to targeting Doncic when he's on defense, especially ever since he came to the Lakers, since the Lakers lack rim protection behind him. This was especially apparent in the first round of the NBA playoffs, when the Minnesota Timberwolves manhandled them in five games. He did average 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists a game as a member of the Purple and Gold during the regular season. But the team was lacking defensively, not just in the paint but also on the perimeter. Improving that defense seems to be a priority for the franchise this offseason. While it could acquire better perimeter defenders, everyone will need to adopt a defensive mentality if L.A. is to become a legitimate championship contender. That begins with Doncic and LeBron James, who have the luxury of sharing the burden of facilitating the team's offense and scoring, which frees them up to expend more energy on the defensive end.
