Giro d’Italia: Pedersen wins but Landa crashes out on opening stage in Tirana

Denmark’s erstwhile satellite champion Mads Pedersen edged retired Wout van Aert successful a clump sprint to triumph the opening signifier of the Giro d’Italia successful Tirana connected Friday, but Mikel Landa was forced to wantonness the contention aft a clang 5 kilometres from the finish.

Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was positioned perfectly by his teammates for the climax successful the Albanian superior and held disconnected Belgium’s Van Aert to go the archetypal rider this twelvemonth –and the archetypal Dane ever – to deterioration the wide leader’s pinkish jersey. Venezuela’s Orluis Aular (Movistar) was 3rd crossed the line.

“To triumph the signifier and spell into the pinkish jersey is perfectly amazing, particularly aft teamwork similar this,” said Pedersen, who won the satellite roadworthy rubric successful England successful 2019.

“You ever person to beryllium acrophobic of Wout, he’s a truly bully motorcycle rider. It’s not a fixed to triumph erstwhile he’s successful the group, and you person to grip that with respect and a spot of fearfulness arsenic well. But contiguous I had the legs to decorativeness it disconnected for the team.”

Van Aert was near frustrated that helium could not people his Giro d’Italia debut by winning the archetypal stage. “There are lone a fewer opportunities to instrumentality the pinkish jersey. So that’s wherefore I truly wanted to effort – connected the past climb, I suffered truthful overmuch to conscionable bent on,” helium said. “So it’s a pity to decorativeness second, but it’s inactive amended than expected.”

The battalion rides during signifier one. Photograph: Fabio Ferrari/AP

Landa, a three-time signifier victor successful the Giro who came 3rd wide successful 2015 and 2022, crashed connected the outskirts of Tirana arsenic the peloton coiled up the gait towards the finish. The 35-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider was taken from the people connected a stretcher.

“Our rider has been taken to the infirmary for investigations aft the clang that enactment an extremity to his dreams astatine the Giro,” said his squad connected X.

His clang was among respective connected the opening day, with Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates, 1 of the starring contenders for the race, crashing aboriginal connected astatine a roundabout. The Spaniard was unhurt and finished safely successful the battalion alongside contention favourite Primoz Roglic.

Two different riders expected to situation for the maglia rosa – Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) and Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) – mislaid clip connected a punishing day.