Pedersen makes it 3 wins out of 5 at Giro d'Italia to extend his overall lead
MATERA, Italy (AP) — Overall leader Mads Pedersen made it three wins out of five at this year's Giro d'Italia as he won a bunch sprint at the end of the fifth stage on Wednesday.
Pedersen just managed to edge out Edoardo Zambanini in a finish that was so close the Lidl-Trek rider had to ask a teammate: 'Did I win? Are you sure?'
Tom Pidcock was third at the end of the 151-kilometer (94-mile) route from Ceglie Messapica to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Matera, which is renowned for its 'Sassi,' or ancient cave dwellings.
With the bonus seconds Pedersen picked up, the Danish cyclist extended his lead over pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic to 17 seconds, with Mathias Vacek another seven seconds back.
With a kilometer to go, Pedersen appeared too far back but he managed to get up to the front before a late corner and then got a great lead out from Vacek.
Pedersen then launched his final sprint early and just barely held off Zambanini, who almost managed to beat him after coming up along the barriers.
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Pedersen also won two of the three opening stages in Albania.
Thursday's seventh stage is the longest leg of the three-week race and has two categorized climbs on the 227-kilometer route from Potenza to Naples.
The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.
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