Mads Pedersen takes pink for first time with Giro d'Italia stage one win in Albania
Pedersen, who won the world title in 2019, edged Van Aert by half a wheel in the hilly 160-kilometer (99-mile) stage from Durres to Tirana, which had a flat finish.
"We had a clear plan today and the team was really amazing to put that hard a tempo on the climb. That was exactly what we wanted," Pedersen said of how his Lidl-Trek team set the pace on the final third-category climb. "We made a plan and we fulfilled the plan."
It was Pedersen's second career stage win in the Giro, having also won in Naples two years ago.
Pedersen has also won two stages at the Tour de France, and three at the Spanish Vuelta. Giro d'Italia organizers said he will be the first rider from Denmark to wear the pink jersey.
"To top it off with the pink jersey is absolutely amazing," Pedersen said. "It's my first leader's jersey in a Grand Tour."
Venezuelan rider Orluis Aular crossed third.
The race remains in Albania for two more days. Stage 2 on Saturday is a 13.7-kilometer individual time trial in Tirana that will test overall contenders like Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso.
The three-week Grand Tour returns to Italy for Stage 4 in Puglia — directly across the Adriatic Sea from Albania. The finish is in Rome on June 1.
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