Latest news with #Decathlon–AG2RLaMondiale
The 42
24-05-2025
- Climate
- The 42
Asgreen wins and Del Toro pads Giro lead as rain brings down rivals
KASPER ASGREEN GRABBED a stage victory and Isaac Del Toro increased his overall lead on Saturday after several leading rivals were slowed by a crash as rain ruined Primoz Roglic's parade on the Giro's day out in Slovenia. A largely flat 195km run from Treviso in Italy to Nova Gorica was set up for another mass finish, but the rain-slicked roads provoked a mass pile-up that split the peloton and toppled the hopes of several favourites including local hero Roglic. Mexican Del Toro, who had been looking over his shoulder at UAE team-mate Juan Ayuso, increased his lead to a more 1min 20sec as Simon Yates jumped to second overall. Ireland's Sam Bennett finished back in 122nd, just over eight minutes off Asgreen's pace. The Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale rider has slipped back to 148th in the general classification. Asgreen was one of the fallers but bounced up and set off on the right side of the split with less than 20km to go after riders piled up on a cobbled corner entering the final loop round Nova Gorica for the first time. 'That's not how you want to take time off the others. But that doesn't change anything for me,' he said at the finish. Giulio Ciccone, who started the day in seventh overall, hurt his knee and took a long time to get moving again. By the end he had lost 15 minutes. Antonio Tiberi, in third overall before the crash, was slow to remount and, with three waiting team-mates, time-trialled desperately after the pack to finish two minutes behind Algreen. The Dane was part of breakaway that was nursing a 28-second lead until the crash split the peloton and ended the chase. Advertisement Of the leaders in the overall standings Mexican del Toro, Englishman Yates, Canadian Derek Gee and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz were in the leading group. As the group passed the same spot on the next circuit, Del Toro lost control of his back wheel and only stayed upright after an alarming slide round the corner. Asgreen, the lone survivor of the original breakaway, finished 16 seconds ahead of his closest pursuers. 'It's frustrating to have to completely destroy yourself like that to win a race, but when it works, it's absolutely worth it, so I'm incredibly happy,' he said at the finish. Kaden Groves edged fellow sprinter Olav Kooij in a battle for podium places and points with Del Toro and Yates rolling over in their slipstreams. Roglic, who started the day in fifth, and Ayuso, who had been second, were 1min 4sec behind Asgreen. Ayuso dropped to third, 1min 26sec behind his team-mate. Roglic stayed fifth but trails by 2min 23sec. Tiberi lost two minutes and Ciccone finished 15 minutes down. Asgreen's EF Education team-mate Carapaz jumped to fourth overall. 'The rain makes it harder for the bunch,' said Asgreen. 'The final circuit was quite technical, and with wet roads it was even harder.' On Sunday, the race heads into the Alps for a 219km stage from Fiume Veneto that includes the first-category climb up Monte Grappa, but after falling on Saturday several leading contenders have an unexpected mountain to climb in the standings. – © AFP 2025
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Mads Pedersen extends Giro lead after swooping for third stage win
Race leader Mads Pedersen claimed another victory after a photo finish on stage five of the Giro d'Italia in Matera. Lidl-Trek rider Pedersen took his third stage win of this year's race after a late charge over the closing kilometre to edge out Edoardo Zambanini, with Britain's Tom Pidcock given third place for Q36.5 Pro Cycling. Having finished sixth in yesterday's sprint finish, Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale's Irish rider Sam Bennett finished in a large group 14 minutes further back and remains 15th in the sprint standings on 12 points. Darren Rafferty finished 5:07 after the leaders and is 112th overall. The 151km stage, which started from Ceglie Messapica, had seen a three-man breakaway from Giosue Epis, Davide Bais and Lorenzo Milesi. The peloton, though, slowly pulled them back in, reducing the gap on Bais and Milesi down to around 35 seconds heading into the final 20km. Pedersen appeared to be struggling to hold the pace, but after being helped on by team-mate Mathias Vacek, the Dane suddenly found the needed sprint on the uphill finish to hit the front and kept his position to claim another stage victory. In the general classification standings, Danish rider Pedersen now has a 17-second lead over race favourite Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) with Vacek in third. Stage six runs from Potenza to Naples over a 227km route, the longest of the Giro 2025, which includes 2,500 metres of climbing.
