A massive crash in the rain dominated Stage 6 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia. While Taco Van Der Hoorn (Intermarché–Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama–FDJ) were out front for the majority of the stage, it came down to an odd sprint to decide the winner. It came down to Kaden Groves, who, after a false start, managed to eke out the stage win.
Mads Pedersen rolled across the finish 10 minutes after the sprinters, his position in the maglia rosa safe for another day.
The crash came with about 73km remaining to Naples. Taco Van Der Hoorn (Intermarché–Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama–FDJ) had been leading the peloton by nearly a minute before riders started going down.
Some of the notable riders that were forced to abandon were 2022 Giro winner Jai Hindley, along with Juri Hollman and Dion Smith. Many more hit the tarmac, but got up and continued on bloodied and bruised.
The race resumed from kilometer 166.5, just outside the town of Nola. Van der Hoorn and Paleni were allowed to restart with a 55″ lead. It was announced that there would be no time cutoffs on today’s stage. In addition, only the stage win will count. No points, time gaps, or bonuses will be awarded – only the final victory.
While maglia rosa Mads Pedersen did go down, he did manage to get back on the bike. The big news, however, was that he made the decision to not contest for the sprint today. If I’m understanding correctly, he will get another day in the maglia rosa, but will gain no additional seconds in the GC contest.
Pedersen seemed to be hurting when climbing the peloton. As it goes, he was not expected to be a factor in the G.C. battle after tomorrow’s stage, but he did not get another chance to sprint today.
Groves: “Big relief”
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner Kaden Groves said: “I’m not sure what the verdict is with [team-mate] Juri [Hollman] who is super unlucky to be injured today. It was a nasty crash with a lot of riders. Then the neutralisation came, so it brings a lot of mixed feelings, whether we were not knowing if we gonna race or not and then have to decide on the spot, it’s mentally complicated because we switched off, we got cold and we started again. I was lucky enough to avoid the crash. It was just slippery roads and a touch of wheels, it caused a chain reaction. The final kilometres were made more technical because of the rain, the wet stones also. Positioning was super important. To arrive safely more than any mean, taking the final corner in the front isn’t ideal for the legs but it gives a clear view of the conditions”.
Pedersen: “I’ve had better days”
The Maglia Rosa Mads Pedersen said: “I had better days, to say like this. It’s never nice to crash in a downhill like this at 70kph. There were bikes everywhere, I lost mine as well. It happened in a fraction of a second. I feel the body right now. Had I felt good, I would have loved to contest the stage victory also today, I’m a racer and I want to win, but when you hit the deck like I did today, it’s not that easy. I feel the pain from the crash on my right hip, it was not ideal for racing for the win. I just couldn’t be part of a sprint and win today. I wasn’t keen to take more risks, we’re still a long way away from Rome. A decision to neutralise the race was made and I think it was fine. It’s been a few super nice days, now I have a full story with the Maglia Rosa, it has made it an incredible start of the Giro for me and my team. I’ll enjoy the last moments tomorrow”.
2025 Giro d’Italia – Stage 6 Brief Results
- Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- Milan Fretin (Cofidis) s.t.
- Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) s.t.
- Max Kanter (XDS-Astana) s.t.
- Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Visitmalta) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 6
- Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
- Primož Roglič (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) at 17″
- Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) at 24″
Official Jerseys
The leader jerseys of the Giro d’Italia are produced and designed by CASTELLI.
- Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by IUMAN – Intimissimi Uomo – Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
- Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, in collaboration with Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale and ITA Italian Trade Agency – Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
- Maglia Azzurra, leader of the Gran Premio della Montagna (KOM), sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team)
- Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider, born after 01/01/2000, sponsored by Conad –Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
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