The 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025 required a lot of stamina. At 227 kilometres, it was the longest stage of the tour. Continuous rain also made the race more difficult. After a mass crash 73 kilometres before the finish, the race organiser briefly neutralised the stage and then announced that all riders would be classified with the same time on this section. This was because the wet roads posed too great a safety risk.
Mads Pedersen drops back
Nevertheless, there was a sprint for the stage win in Naples at the end. But not with all the riders. As time gaps didn't play a role, Mads Pedersen (Lidl - Trek), among others, dropped back. He crossed the finish line several minutes after the winner. There were also no points for the points classification at the finish. Further ahead, Kaden Groves (Alpecin - Deceuninck) won the stage ahead of Milan Fretin (Cofidis) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step). Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) finished in fourth place.
For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, however, things went wrong in the finale. Initially, Wout Van Aert attacked before the Flamme Rouge, but was soon caught again. In the final sprint, Olav Kooij was then left to his own devices and trapped by Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) on the barriers.
Breakaway three kilometres from the finish
The two escapees of the day, Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché - Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), were unlucky as they were only caught three kilometres from the finish.
There were no changes in the overall standings due to the jury's decision. Mads Pedersen defended his pink jersey with a 17-second lead over Primoz Roglic (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), who lost an important helper in Jai Hindley. The Australian and 2022 Giro winner had to abandon the race as a result of the mass crash. Juri Hollmann (Alpecin - Deceuninck) was also forced to abandon.
Giro d'Italia 2025 - Results of the 6th stage
Stage 6: Potenza - Napoli
Giro d'Italia 2025: Stage 6, Potenza - Napoli
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alpecin - Deceuninck | 04:59:52 |
| 2 | Cofidis | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Soudal Quick-Step | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | XDS Astana Team | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | Team Polti VisitMalta | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | +00:00:00 |
How the 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025 went
For the first time in this Giro d'Italia, the battle for the day's breakaway group lasted a little longer - especially as the start of the stage was immediately uphill and downhill. Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-AlUla) was among those in the first group, while Mathias Vacek (Lild - Trek), who came third overall, was in a chasing group. In the peloton, however, teams like Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not let up and brought the escapees back after 30 kilometres.
On the Valico di Monte Carruozzo climb (2nd category) after 38 kilometres, the breakaway group of the day finally formed around Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché - Wanty) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ). Shortly afterwards, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team) followed as the leader of the mountain classification, closed the gap before the summit and secured the mountain points. Shortly afterwards, the steady rain set in.
Jai Hindley out after crash
The trio was initially granted a lead of around three minutes by the peloton. However, Fortunato had completed his day's work with the mountain classification and dropped back shortly afterwards. Van der Hoorn and Paleni continued their escape as a duo. In the peloton, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Alpecin - Deceuninck were the main chasers.
The second mountain classification of the day in Monteforte Irpino (3rd category) was won by Paleni 75 kilometres before the finish. However, the stage never really got going. Neither the two escapees nor the peloton invested much, and the pace was correspondingly slow. Other factors were the rain and the wet road conditions.
With 73 kilometres to go, there was a mass crash in the peloton as the riders braked for a corner, which brought down a number of riders - including Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step). For Jai Hindley (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) the race was over on the spot.
The race is neutralised and interrupted
The race organisers then briefly neutralised the stage and brought the race to a halt for around ten minutes. The stage continued 58 kilometres before the finish, with the two escapees still around a minute ahead at this point. However, the organisers decided not to count time gaps on this stage. This meant the same time for all riders.
The last third of the race to the finish in Naples took place on completely flat terrain. However, as there were no more points for the points classification and no time gaps to worry about, some riders took it easy - including Mads Pedersen, who dropped back.
In the peloton, however, Team PicnicPostNL and Team Visma | Lease a Bike invested a great deal to bring back the two escapees. But van der Hoorn and Paleni defended a lead of 25 seconds with all their might over long stretches. They were finally caught three kilometres before the finish.
