The 2025 “Corsa Rosa” is off to a flying start! The 108th edition of the Giro d’Italia began with a bang on Friday in Albania, with a more selective opening stage than expected. After a hard push on the day’s final climb, only thirty riders were able to compete in Tirana for victory. David Gaudu managed to keep up the pace and finish in the front peloton, while Mads Pedersen claimed the first pink jersey. A time trial will take place tomorrow.
It was then on the other side of the Adriatic Sea that the Giro’s “Grande Partenza” took place this year. In Albania, a rather solid program was looming for the 184 riders lining-up on this first Grand Tour of the season. And right from the opening day, some climbs were to be tackled in a stage featuring nearly 2,000 metres of elevation gain. Before the anticipated explosion in the last hour of racing on the double ascent of Surrel (7 km at 4.5%), a five-man breakaway took advantage of an easy start to take the lead and fight for the first points in the mountains classification on the day’s longest climb, towards Gracen (13 km 5%). However, even before getting to the first climb of Surrel, forty kilometres from the finish, the breakaway was caught due to a growing tension in the peloton. Shortly after, the fast pace also eliminated the pure sprinters, and a slightly reduced peloton crossed the finish line in Tirana before heading to the day’s final climb.
“It’s a good sign going forward”, Thierry Bricaud
The pace then further increased, and the peloton really stretched out on the final kilometres of climbing. Countless splits occurred, and a large part of the bunch had to let it go. At the summit, only about thirty riders were left after the tempo set by the former Tour’s best climber, Giulio Ciccone. Twelve kilometres further down, the Lidl-Trek team finished it off with Mads Pedersen’s winning sprint, while David Gaudu (24th) managed to secure his position in the first peloton, made of thirty-six riders. “It was harder than it looked on paper,” said the Frenchman. “We also had to deal with quite a technical course given the slippery roads. It was quite a combo for a Grand Tour’s first stage.” “We had done a recon of the route yesterday, we knew it could be a hard final, and it was, and even a little more than we expected,” confirmed Thierry Bricaud. “We still managed it pretty well. To have David up there when there are only thirty riders left, even if he’s not at his best, it’s a good sign going forward. We also avoided the crashes. For us, it was a good day.”
A good start, then, before a first real test in the 13.7-kilometre time trial in the Albanian capital on Saturday. “The goal will be to limit our losses and not lose too much time in order to stay in the mix for the rest of the race,” Thierry concluded.
