Pedersen makes it 3 wins out of 5 at Giro

MATERA, Italy (AP)– Total leader Mads Pedersen made it 3 wins out of 5 at this year’s Giro d’Italia as he won a lot sprint at the end of the 5th phase on Wednesday.Pedersen simply handled to edge out Edoardo Zambanini in a surface that was so close the Lidl-Trek rider needed to ask a teammate:”Did I win? Are you sure? “Ad Tom Pidcock was third at the end of the 151-kilometer(94-mile)path from Ceglie Messapica to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Matera, which is renowned for its “Sassi,”or ancient cave dwellings.The 29-year-old Pedersen likewise won 2 of the 3 opening stages in Albania to take the leader

‘s pink jersey back to Italy. “Now it’s truly incredible and to win in this jersey also, it’s ridiculous and it’s way more than I

ever dreamt about,”Pedersen said.” What a Giro we have and what a group I have around me.” With the bonus offer seconds Pedersen picked up, the Danish cyclist extended his lead

over pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic to 17 seconds, with Mathias Vacek another seven seconds back.Advertisement With a kilometer to go, Pedersen appeared too far back however he managed to get up to the front before a late corner and after that got a terrific lead out of Vacek.Pedersen then introduced his last sprint early and simply barely held off Zambanini, who almost managed to beat him after turning up along the barriers.

“I utilized a lot of energy to move back up on Vacek’s wheel,”Pedersen said. “I needed to spend energy to come back to a minimum of fight for the win.

Then thankfully I had enough for the last sprint. So that was an actually tough one. “Prior to this year’s race, Pedersen had only won one stage in the Giro, 2 years earlier in Naples– where Thursday’s 6th stage likewise ends.Advertisement”Every day we attempt to win as

as much as possible and we try again tomorrow,”he said.The stage is the longest leg of the three-week race and has two classified climbs on the 227-kilometer path from Potenza.The Giro ends

in Rome on June 1. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports