Mads Pedersen, the 'Great Dane' of the peloton, has won his third stage out of the first five in the 108th edition of the Giro d'Italia on a day when Australia's main overall hope Michael Storer again demonstrated his readiness for the fray.
Strongman Pedersen delivered another herculean effort to edge to what he called an "insane" hat-trick in Matera on Wednesday, hitting out in a long-range sprint after a hilly final 20km and holding off the blistering finish of Italian Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious).
But the encouraging sight for Australian fans at the side of the road was Tudor Pro leader Storer, who's been sprightly throughout the race so far, getting into the sprint denouement - not his preferred territory - yet still mixing it impressively to finish in an excellent sixth spot.
