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.
