Danish rider Mads Pedersen won the first stage of the Giro d’Italia in a sprint finish to take the race’s first Maglia Rosa. The former world champion powered through a small group of favourites in Tirana after his Lidl-Trek team rode aggressively to significantly reduce the peloton. This pink jersey is the first time Pedersen has led a Grand Tour.

Quick Step lost control in a technical descent in the final kilometers of the stage and was the most badly injured rider in a group that also included Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Geoffrey Bouchard (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).

General classification hopeful Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) became the first rider to abandon the 2025 Giro d'Italia after crashing heavily in the final 6km of the opening stage in Albania.