ROME (Reuters) - Mads Pedersen of Trek–Segafredo held his nerve to win stage six of the Giro d’Italia in the final sprint on Thursday after the peloton caught up with a breakaway duo of Simon Clarke and Alessandro De Marchi 300 metres from the finish.
After a rain-sodden stage five that was marred by crashes, including one caused by a dog, the 162-km sixth stage in Naples was a far more pleasant ride under blue skies with the sun beating down on the riders who were glad to have dry roads.
Andreas Leknessund of Team DSM retained the leader’s maglia rosa jersey with a 28-second lead over pre-race favorite Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step.
Clarke, 36, said it was “devastating” to miss out on a victory after he was caught with the finish line in sight.
It was also a near-perfect comeback for stage two winner Milan, who had to change his wheel twice to continue after going down early on.