An enthralling first two days of the 2025 Giro d’Italia first saw former world champion Mads Pedersen sprint to victory on stage one to claim the maglia rosa ahead of Wout van Aert at the heart of Albania’s capital, Tirana, before a dramatic individual time-trial in the city yesterday. British 21-year-old Josh Tarling produced a brilliant ride to claim victory from Primoz Roglic by one second, though Roglic took the not insignificant consolation prize of the pink jersey from the shoulders of Pedersen – again by just one second, despite the Dane’s determined sprint to the finish line.
Today the peloton is in the coastal city of Vlore, situated where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea, and known for its wine and olive oil as well as the old Kanina Castle which stands on a hill looking over the town. The riders face a hilly 160km jaunt heading first south on wide, fast roads along the coastline where winds could be a factor in splitting the pack, before bending round inland and back up to finish in Vlore.
There are two intermediate sprints preceding two climbs, the first of which is a gentle category four rise, before the much more imposing category two Qafa e Llogarase climb (11km at over 7 per cent gradient) before a fast descent back to Vlore.
On the surface this should be a very similar day to stage one, which, despite the hills, saw fast riders like Pedersen and Van Aert compete in a sprint to the line having scaled the ascents along the way. But a reason to consider one or two others in the pack is the positioning of the day’s major climb so close to the finish, with that fast descent back into Vlore. That downhill section could suit a supreme bike handler if they can get themselves to the front at the top of the climb. So could it perhaps be a day for the technical gifts of Tom Pidcock?
Route map and profile
Start and finish time
Stage three begins at around 12.30pm BST and is set to conclude at around 4.15pm.
Prediction
It would be exciting to see Pidcock target a day like this one, but the smart money is on Pedersen or Van Aert. Given Pedersen could wrestle back the pink jersey from Roglic with a time bonus on the line, let’s back the Dane to get his second win of this Giro.
