Giro d’Italia 2025 LIVE: Stage 1 results and race standings in Tirana – UK Times

2019 champion Richard Carapaz and British climber Max Poole are also in the top ten. That’s not a mix of names you see in the same top ten all that often.

A day to forget for a couple of the GC hopefuls. Derek Gee crosses the line nearly a minute back; Thymen Arensman and Josh Tarling ship a minute and a half.

A dramatic bunch sprint ends with Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert crossing the line nearly neck and neck!

The Dane looked so strong but Van Aert came up at the last – but it’s Pedersen who takes pink at the end of a near-flawless day for Lidl-Trek.

Under the flamme rouge and there’s a hodgepodge of riders here, GC contenders and sprinters alike… Lidl-Trek are back on the front with Pedersen behind Vacek.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe come to the front. Are they looking to shepherd Roglic to safety, or does he fancy a stage win and the pink jersey already?!

A nasty crash on a descent as the riders swing left; Jay Vine is one of the riders down and Mikel Landa, Soudal Quick-Step’s big hope for the GC, is down on the pavement looking hurt; it looks like Vine may have gone over the top of an Israel Premier-Tech rider who hit the deck first.

Fingers crossed nobody is badly hurt but it doesn’t look good for Landa.

Derek Gee, Israel Premier-Tech’s big hope for the GC, is 25 seconds off the back, caught out in that split. Arensman is likely even further behind but the cameras haven’t picked up on him yet, or his time gap.

Lidl-Trek aren’t exactly piling on the pace, but Gee is losing a couple of seconds here and there. A bad start to his three weeks.

Giulio Ciccone takes the KOM points as he leads Mads Pedersen and co over the top. Lidl-Trek are still controlling this brilliantly. But the best laid plans don’t always go to plan…

A gap has opened up further down the bunch. Van Aert and Pidcock are still close to the Lidl-Trek train.

Thymen Arensman has been dropped?! The Dutchman has had a strong season so far but is falling off on the first day of climbing. Not a good sign for Ineos’ main GC hope.

It’s a replay of last year’s Giro when he shed bucketloads of time in week one. Last year he managed to make up significant chunks of that time as the race went on, but it’s hardly an encouraging start.

Wout van Aert also looked to be in trouble, slipping down the bunch, but he’s hanging in there.

Carlos Verona drops off, job done for Lidl-Trek, and it’s Giulio Ciccone who takes his place, sheltering Mads Pedersen. Bad news for the other fast men in this bunch with the climber on the front.

Less than 2km to the top of the climb and Wout van Aert moves steadily up to tag onto the back of his big Spring Classics rival Pedersen.

Tarling has been dropped! Something of a surprise.