Former world champion Mads Pedersen has grabbed the primary pink jersey within the 108th version of the Giro d’Italia on a bruising day for the Australian problem in Albania.
Danish star Pedersen outsprinted Belgian standout Wout van Aert by half a wheel to seize the honours within the opening stage of the Grande Partenza, a hilly 160km trek from Durres to the capital Tirana as the nice race went throughout the Adriatic to Albania for the primary time.
However Australian ace Jay Vine, contemporary from ending on the rostrum on the Tour de Romandie, suffered a crash 5 kilometres from house and ended up ending nearly 4 minutes adrift.
A minimum of UAE Staff Emirates rider Vine averted the destiny of the luckless Spaniard Mikel Landa, whose crash simply forward of him had prompted the Australian’s personal spill as he tried to take evasive motion.
Landa, a GC hope, needed to be taken away on a stretcher together with his race over after crashing right into a kerb and tipping over.
Queenslander Kaden Groves, who had hoped to recover from the climbs nonetheless in contact to problem for the jersey, discovered the duty too taxing, together with loads of the opposite high sprinters, as he ended over one other minute-and-a-half behind Vine.
However the primary Australian hope for total race victory, Tour of the Alps winner Michael Storer, got here house safely among the many 36-strong main bunch together with 2022 winner Jai Hindley, Damien Howson and Chris Harper.
Lidl-Trek’s Pedersen, the 2019 world champ, celebrated his second Giro stage win, having additionally received in Naples two years in the past, however it’s the primary time in his distinguished profession that he is worn the chief’s jersey in a Grand Tour. Venezuela’s Orluis Aular crossed third.
“To win the stage and go into the pink jersey is totally wonderful, particularly after teamwork like this,” Pedersen stated after ousting the charging Visma-Lease a Bike luminary van Aert.
“You at all times need to be afraid of Wout, he is a very good bike rider. It isn’t a given to win when he is within the group, and you need to deal with that with respect and a little bit of concern as properly. However at present I had the legs to complete it off for the group.”
One of many different high contenders Juan Ayuso, for whom Vine can be working within the mountains, additionally crashed early on a roundabout however was unharmed and completed safely within the pack together with race favorite Primoz Roglic (Pink Bull-Bora-hansgrohe).
The race stays in Albania for 2 extra days earlier than it returns to Italy, with stage two on Saturday a 13.7km particular person time trial in Tirana, the place race favorite Primoz Roglic can be anticipated to shine.
