The general classification battle for the 2025 Giro d’Italia properly kicked off today with a tough day in the Apennines for the climbers to make their mark.
It was Juan Ayuso who came out on top after the 168km run from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo, launching a decisive move on the steepest upper slopes of the final climb of the day and powering away from his rivals with a fearsome turn of speed.
The young Spaniard claimed his first stage win at a Grand Tour, crossing the line four seconds ahead of teammate Isaac del Toro and Ineos Grenadiers’ Egan Bernal, with race favourite Primoz Roglic narrowly missing out on the stage podium and the bonus seconds on offer across the line.
But fourth place was enough for Roglic to move into the pink jersey as the leader at the start of the day, Mads Pedersen, fell away on the tough final climb, having put in one last dig for teammates Giulio Ciccone and Mathias Vacek, with the former fifth in Tagliacozzo.
Follow all the action with The Independent’s liveblog here:
Giro d'Italia stage 7 LIVE
- Battle for the GC begins on hilly stage seven
- Route profile and map for 168km stage from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo
- Mads Pedersen likely to concede leader's pink jersey as climbers come to the fore
- Race continues after hectic stage six saw several riders abandon
- Key moments and climbs of stage seven
- Juan Ayuso strikes killer blow on final climb for first Grand Tour stage victory
Advantage Ayuso?
17:23 , Flo CliffordWell, we thought it would come down to a battle between these two, and it’s Ayuso who’s struck the first real blow, stage two time trial aside.
But it’s only stage seven and there’s plenty more to come...
'We just continue to give our best' - Primoz Roglic
17:09 , Flo CliffordRoglic is his usual relaxed self in his post-race interview.
“I was a bit behind, yeah, I didn't really fight much,” he says, but he’s smiling.
Asked about keeping the lead, he says, “I don't know, we will see,” as you’d expect him to say.
“The [other] guys are getting closer, maybe they also take it, but we will try to give our best with the whole team.
“They were really amazing today after yesterday when quite a lot of guys were down. So we just continue to give our best.
“It was how it was, I was just not fighting for the win today, but anyway it was a good result. I'm happy.”
Man of the hour
17:02 , Flo CliffordAyuso celebrates on the podium. He looked a little half-baked earlier this week but certainly doesn’t now.
'I couldn't mess around' - Juan Ayuso
16:56 , Flo CliffordLet’s hear from today’s winner.
“It's my fourth Grand Tour, and especially in the two Vuelta a Españas I raced I was sometimes very close, but I never managed to pull it off, so to finally do it today in my first Giro d'Italia is something super special and I will always remember,” Juan Ayuso says.
“I knew that I only had to do one attack, I couldn't mess around and do two or three. In these finals, which are super explosive, you only have one bullet to use. So I let others start attacking before, and then when I saw my distance, I went full gas into the finish.”
Well, it was something to watch. Chapeau.
General classification after stage seven
16:50 , Flo Clifford1) Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), in 24:32:30
2) Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +4”
3) Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +9”
4) Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) +27”
5) Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL)+30”
6) Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +33”
7) Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +34”
8) Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) +37”
9) Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) +39”
10) Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) +39”
Other GC contenders
16:43 , Flo CliffordOutside the top 10 but still performing creditably where both Yates brothers - Simon finished 11th, eight seconds down on Ayuso, and Adam 14th, 14 seconds back - as well as Derek Gee, 12th and 11 seconds back.
Thymen Arensman was 17th and 14 seconds off the pace, while Tom Pidcock’s GC challenge continues as he was only 34 seconds down in 20th, just ahead of Mathias Vacek.
Juan Ayuso wins stage seven
16:37 , Flo CliffordSome statement by this man.
Looking down that top 10, strong performances too from British climber Max Poole - only 22 and looking really good for the general classification - as well as, at the other end of the spectrum, the 37-year-old veteran Damiano Caruso.
Stage seven results
16:31 , Flo Clifford1) Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), in 4:20:25
2) Isaac del Toro Isaac (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), +4”
3) Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), +4”
4) Primoz Roglic Primoz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), +4”
5) Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), +4”
6) Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), +4”
7) Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), +4”
8) Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), +4”
9) Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL), +8”
10) Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), +8”
The Bernal comeback is on
16:27 , Flo CliffordAlso so, so impressive by Egan Bernal. His road back from a life-threatening crash in January 2022 has been a long one, and he suffered another setback with a collarbone break in the spring. But he’s looking on stellar form now, and takes a well-deserved third place on stage seven.
Strong performance by Isaac del Toro too for second behind his team leader - the hype is justified with that one.
Roglic into pink
16:25 , Flo CliffordRoglic had 17 seconds on Ayuso at the start of the day so even with those bonus seconds the Slovenian should take the overall lead today, albeit not by much - three seconds, if my calculations are correct.
Ayuso makes a statement
16:23 , Flo CliffordWhat a turnout for the books. Stage win and 10 bonus seconds for Ayuso, with Roglic recovering for fourth place but not enough for any bonuses.
The camera cuts to the Slovenian chatting to Pellizzari, but he’s smiling at least - just a four second gap to Ayuso on the day.
Juan Ayuso wins stage seven!
16:22 , Flo CliffordSeriously, seriously impressive from Juan Ayuso, who has miles between him and the rest. It’s a first Grand Tour stage win for him!
Del Toro second for a UAE one-two, Bernal takes third.
Roglic is struggling! Juan Ayuso is powering away with this one...
Bernal attacks! (700m to go)
16:20 , Flo CliffordThe Colombian, winner in 2021, attacks! Ciccone follows, UAE are well positioned too.
Now Ayuso goes and Roglic is caught out of position!
Flamme rouge
16:19 , Flo CliffordGradients at 10%. Who’s going to make a move in the final 10km? It’s Thymen Arensman on the front for Bernal now.
Ciccone caught (1km to go)
16:18 , Flo CliffordAnother acceleration from Ciccone, but it’s not full gas. The bunch is all strung out.
British climber Max Poole looks good, he’s on the front for Picnic PostNL.
Ciccone attacks! (1.3km to go)
16:18 , Flo CliffordThe local boy makes his move and after a brief pause it’s Egan Bernal who closes him down!
2km to go
16:16 , Flo CliffordDani Martinez has been dropped and it’s home boy Giulio Pellizzari who takes over for Red Bull, with Majka still on the front.
Roglic is in fourth wheel or so.
8% gradients here. Fortunato is being distanced. Gaudu is scrapping to stay on.
GC battle looming (2.2km to go)
16:15 , Flo CliffordCarlos Verona leads Mathias Vacek up the climb with Giulio Ciccone right behind him and that’s enough to drop half the bunch.
Arensman is clinging on at the back. Carapaz and Roglic are there.
Is Bernal winding up for something?
Now UAE are on the front with the absolute mountain machine that is Rafal Majka.
Into the final 3km
16:14 , Flo CliffordIneos swing onto the front. Lorenzo Fortunato, Rafal Majka and the UAE train, Mathias Vacek are all still there.
Bardet swings off and that’s my prediction out the window.
Catch made (5km to go)
16:11 , Flo CliffordAnd as I type that, the Bahrain steam train rolls over the remaining four escapees.
Under the 5km to go archway, and we’re not even onto the toughest part of this climb. It’s the final 3km that have a real sting.
Gap shrinking (5km to go)
16:09 , Flo CliffordBahrain are driving this one on still and doing a sterling job. The gap is now under ten seconds. A day for Antonio Tiberi?
Breakaway stragglers caught (7km to go)
16:06 , Flo CliffordPello Bilbao comes to the front to close down this gap. Lidl-Trek are well-represented, with both Vacek and Ciccone there.
The breakaway has splintered, with Prodhomme, Garofoli, Tonelli and Tarozzi pushing on. Double and Leemreize clearly think the jig is up - or maybe they don’t have the legs, but I reckon it’s the former - and they’re caught.
Scaroni was caught a bit earlier having suffered that unfortunate mechanical.
Pedersen dropped (10km to go)
16:00 , Flo CliffordMads Pedersen slips down the bunch on the lower slopes and a maglia rosa group forms. They’re already 1:40 down and that’s the end of the Dane’s brilliant spell in the pink jersey.
Ineos have all the troops massed on the front. Chance for Arensman or Bernal to make up some time today?
Onto the climb (11km to go)
15:58 , Flo CliffordThe gap is down to 30 seconds and it’s nearly curtains for the breakaway. Ineos are leading the bunch up the lower slopes.
Tarozzi wins Red Bull kilometre (13km to go)
15:55 , Flo CliffordTarozzi beats Tonelli for the Red Bull sprint and bonus seconds on offer, not that it matters as none of the breakaway are up on GC, and the rest of them don’t bother.
So: it’s showtime. We’re almost onto the Tagliacozzo climb, the first summit finish of this year’s Giro. Fireworks incoming.
Gap steady (18km to go)
15:48 , Flo CliffordNot totally sure what Gianni Moscon isn’t happy about, but he’s clearly up in arms about something, spitting on the road and throwing his arms out in frustration. Gap not coming down quickly enough? Others team foiling Red Bull’s plans?
The gap is still at 1:37, having gone out slightly, while Gaudu is 2:09 back and being shephered back on by his teammates.
Bardet back in the bunch (27km to go)
15:37 , Flo CliffordRomain Bardet rejoins the peloton and goes to the team car to get checked out.
A host of different teams are working to bring this back now. Red Bull are still there but so are EF Education-EasyPost, Bahrain-Victorious and Q36.5, lining things up for Pidcock if they can.
1:30 to the breakaway still.
Dog on the road (36km to go)
15:28 , Flo CliffordAfter yesterday’s protestors we’ve got another road invasion - this time it’s a rogue dog, who runs alongside the breakaway for a couple of seconds before fortunately heading off.
Scaroni has dropped his chain and that’s the end of him.
The breakaway’s advantage is tumbling away now, they’re down to 1:22 already.
David Gaudu crashes (40km to go)
15:24 , Flo CliffordGroupama-FDJ leader David Gaudu crashed as well at the same time. Bad day for French climbers. He’s back riding but clutching his bloody right wrist - and now at the medical car for some treatment.
Romain Bardet crashes (40km to go)
15:22 , Flo CliffordBad news for my heart-over-head pick for today, Romain Bardet, who has gone down in what looks like a touch of wheels, with his whole Picnic PostNL team either involved or held up.
They’re now chasing back on and it’s happened at a very unideal time, with a split in the main bunch and the Bardet group nearly three-quarters of a minute behind.
They’ve swung off the descent and Lidl-Trek have led them onto an uncategorised rise.
Mads Pedersen on the front (42km to go)
15:18 , Flo CliffordInteresting development: Daan Hoole swung onto the front for Lidl-Trek a little while ago and now the fully pink suit of Mads Pedersen is taking a turn. Setting things up for Vacek, as the young Czech suggested earlier? Or perhaps the GC threat of Giulio Ciccone?
They’re flying now at 67, 68km/h. The escapees’ gap is down to 2:30.
No contest at the intermediate (49km to go)
15:10 , Flo CliffordTonelli rolls over the intermediate sprint uncontested and it’s as you were.
The gap has tumbled down to 2:59, though, as they fly down the descent.
Intermediate sprint approaching (55km to go)
15:03 , Flo CliffordDouble is second in the KOM standings at the moment, 22 points off Lorenzo Fortunato, with another 50 points up for grabs on the category one at the end of the stage.
But it certainly looks as though Primoz Roglic fancies that one. The gap remains at 3:35.
The second intermediate sprint is 3km away, at Ovindoli, with the breakaway set to share the honours again there.
Paul Double wins KOM again as gap shrinks (63km to go)
14:53 , Flo CliffordThe gap was over four minutes a little further down this climb, but Red Bull have brought Gianni Moscon onto the front to relieve Nico Denz and it’s tumbling down now, to 3:36 over the top of the climb.
The last couple of kilometres at the steepest on Vado della Forcella, averaging 5%.
Tarozzi winds up to sprint for the KOM points and Paul Double comes around him with ease! It’s another 18 points for the Brit, who is looking in superb form in his first Grand Tour.
Scenery check
14:46 , Flo CliffordIf anyone was in any doubt, the Apennines are stunning.
Arrosticini anyone (71km to go)
14:37 , Flo CliffordWhile we wait for the action to start on this climb - if it does, one of the camera motorbikes is wielding a pair of arrosticini - an Abruzzo delicacy of lamb skewers - in front of the lens.
9km till to go to the top and the breakaway’s gap is 3:33.
Red Bull are still driving the pace on the front of the peloton. Is giving UAE a free ride a good idea? We’ll find out.
First abandon of the day
14:31 , Flo CliffordPicnic PostNL’s Bram Welten, a lead-out man for Casper van Uden, was the first man spat out the back on the day’s very first climb, the ramp up to Roccaraso, and he’s thrown in the towel.
Red Bull on the front
14:21 , Flo CliffordIt’s been a day of changeable weather; here are the riders in sunnier climes.
Paul Double leads the charge (80km to go)
14:14 , Flo CliffordPaul Double, the 28-year-old Grand Tour debutant from Winchester, only reached the WorldTour this year when he joined Jayco-AlUla.
Now he’s the strongest man in the breakaway, into third in the king of the mountains classification, and into the virtual race lead.
He’s got the chance to strengthen that KOM position with more points atop Vado della Forcella, and even win the stage if the break can hold on. Some debut.
Onto the climb (86km to go)
14:07 , Flo CliffordOnto the longest climb of the day, the category 2 Vado della Forcella.
It’s 21.6km at an average of 3.6%, reaching highs of 9%.
Juri Hollmann injury update
14:00 , Flo CliffordAlpecin-Deceuninck have issued an update on their rider Juri Hollmann, who went down hard in yesterday’s crash and did not finish the stage.
He has been diagnosed with “a double fracture of the right forearm and a complicated fracture of the right hip,” and will undergo surgery.
🚑Medical Update – Juri Hollmann
— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) May 16, 2025
Following his heavy crash during stage 6 of the @giroditalia, @JuriHollmann has been diagnosed with a double fracture of the right forearm and a complicated fracture of the right hip.
He has always been hemodynamically and neurologically stable.… pic.twitter.com/RdZ4hNuw2t
Paul Double wins KOM (96km to go)
13:50 , Flo CliffordPaul Double is absolutely flying, launching off the front, and he nicks the KOM points at the top of Monte Urano, catching his companions by surprise. Tarozzi attempts to chase but the Brit has timed it perfectly.
The breakaway’s advantage has gone out to a more healthy 2:25 now.
Giro d'Italia 2025 - Stage 7
13:41 , Jack RathbornThe break has just started to tackle Monte Urano.
It’s a tasty climb of 4.6km with a 9.2 per cent gradient ahead, the gap is just under two minutes.
Red Bull are at the front of the bunch, with Ineos Grenadiers and Lidl-Trek close behind.
99.6km remaining...
What is the Red Bull KM?
13:20 , Flo CliffordIntermediate sprints have had a bit of a rebrand at the Giro this year, with the energy giant Red Bull sponsoring a brand new Red Bull KM.
As well as regular intermediate sprints, which offer points for the ciclamino points classification, there will be a daily Red Bull KM on every road stage (so excluding the time trials on stages two and 10).
The Red Bull KM is the kilometre up to an intermediate sprint point, which awards six, four, and two bonus seconds to the first three riders over the line.
Those bonuses could be crucial in the battle for the overall win and add a little bit of extra intrigue to regular road stages.
Tonelli wins intermediate sprint (117km to go)
13:13 , Flo CliffordThe breakaway roll over the intermediate sprint at Sulmona without any contest for the points, with Tonelli taking the maximum.
Paul Double is in the virtual overall lead.
Intermediate sprint approaching (121km to go)
13:06 , Flo CliffordThe break have 1:35 on the peloton now and are a little over 3km from the intermediate sprint.
With seven riders they’ll mop up all the points.
'Keep fighting and see what happens' - Mathias Vacek
13:01 , Flo CliffordLidl-Trek’s Mathias Vacek has done a superb job for his team the last few days and could be rewarded with a chance of his own today.
The white jersey said before the stage, “I feel good, I’ve done really good work the last days. For sure I have it in my head to go for a win today.
“We’ll see what happens because it’s a really hard stage. Some climbers definitely have an advantage above me. I will do my best, keep fighting and see what happens. I believe in myself, I believe in the team, and we still have Cicco for the GC [Giulio Ciccone].”
Gap steady (132km to go)
12:54 , Flo CliffordBit of a lull now after that busy start. The TV helicopter takes in an absolutely stunning view of the hairpins up some precipitous slopes in the Abruzzo.
A reminder of the breakaway, who have one minute on the bunch: Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step), Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), Alessandro Tonelli (Polti VisitMalta), Paul Double (Jayco AlUla), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL) and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane).
Seven-man breakaway up the road (142km to go)
12:44 , Flo CliffordProdhomme, Scaroni, Garofoli and Tonelli went again after Vine was caught, and now have Paul Double, breakaway stalwart Manuele Tarozzi and Gijs Leemreize swelling their numbers.
They have around 22 seconds on the bunch as they embark on another descent.
The rain is falling now.
Vine caught (150km to go)
12:38 , Flo CliffordVine has Nicolas Prodhomme and three Italians for company - Christian Scaroni, Gianmarco Garofoli, and Alessandro Tonelli, but only a handful of seconds’ advantage and they’re brought back now.
Vine is over four minutes down on the GC but still a real threat to Red Bull, and they responded as you’d expect. Good tactics by UAE so far, making Red Bull expend a lot of energy early on.
Jackets are on now as it starts to rain, hopefully no more carnage today after yesterday. Juan Ayuso gets into a flap at the team car trying to put his on.
Key moments of today's stage
12:32 , Flo CliffordTodays’ 168km run features climbing from the gun, with a category 3, 7.8km ascent of Roccaraso straight from the flag drop.
After that it levels off for 50km before the category 2 Monte Urano (4.6km at 9.2% average), the category 2 Vado della Forcella (21.5km at 3.6% average), some more uncategorised ups and downs before the category 1 Tagliacozzo (12.6km at 5.4% average).
Watch out for that last one, with highs of 14% and a 2km final section at 10% average gradients before a flatter finish.
The day’s Red Bull kilometre - with bonus seconds on offer - is at the foot of the final climb, so expect an even more hard-fought battle for position onto the lower slopes than normal.
Jay Vine on the march (155km to go)
12:26 , Flo CliffordOnto a plateau now as the terrain evens off.
Jay Vine, who was among the riders to hit the deck yesterday, has plenty of pep in his step today and he launches off the front, forcing Red Bull to chase again.
And the pink jersey of Mads Pedersen gives chase! He knocks it off, though. Lidl-Trek are backing their talented youngster Mathias Vacek today and it looked like Pedersen might have been trying to tee him up to get into the break there.
Fortunato wins first KOM at Roccaraso (160km to go)
12:20 , Flo CliffordDiego Ulissi takes control on the front of the bunch for Astana teammate Lorenzo Fortunato, who fancies adding to his KOM lead on the first climb.
Fortunato launches and Ulissi follows to try to deny rival Sylvain Moniquet any more points - and the wheeze works. Nine points for Fortunato, four for Ulissi, two for Moniquet.
Red Bull policing proceedings (162km to go)
12:16 , Flo CliffordRafal Majka fancies coming across too and Dani Martinez isn’t having that, piling on the pace to bring the UAE man back, and with it the four escapees.
Red Bull and UAE between them are killing off any chance of a break getting away - and also making life miserable for the sprinters.
The peloton is all strung out and Casper van Uden is among the big names dropping back.
Double leads breakaway (163km to go)
12:13 , Flo CliffordBram Welten has already been dropped. It’s going to be a long day for him. Matteo Moschetti, Paul Magnier, Ethan Hayter are also spat out the back.
Paul Double, a Grand Tour debutant at 28 years old, sets off and has daylight between himself and the peloton, with Wout Poels and Gianmarco Garofoli for company.
Filippo Fiorelli makes the jump too.
Predictions for today's stage
12:10 , Flo CliffordThis is definitely one for the climbers, but could the steep uphill finish tempt the GC favourites, particularly Primoz Roglic, into making a statement? The Slovenian is clearly full of confidence and his relaxed demeanour bodes ill for his rivals.
Or will Juan Ayuso - one of few who can rival him on this sort of finish - fancy getting in an early win?
Antonio Tiberi and Michael Storer look strong too, while Lorenzo Fortunato climbed well yesterday but went down in the major crash.
But let’s go with French veteran Romain Bardet for the nostalgia factor, as the Picnic PostNL rider looks to complete the set of Grand Tour stage wins in his final year on the road.
Fight for the breakaway (167km to go)
12:06 , Flo CliffordThe turquoise jerseys of VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane are the first to make a move as we’re onto the 7km Roccaraso climb already. A group of six get a little gap, including British rider Paul Double.
Nico Denz of Red Bull slaps down an attempt by Jay Vine UAE Team Emirates-XRG to join them.
Now another Red Bull rider in Dani Martinez closes down Vine again and moves to the front to set the pace, snuffing out the early move.
Flag drop!
12:00 , Flo CliffordAfter 2.3km of neutral start in Castel di Sangro the race is underway.
It’s a twisting start through the town on a cold, grey, overcast day in the Abruzzo.
Last time the race left from Castel di Sangro was on stage nine in 2021, when Egan Bernal took the pink jersey and held it all the way to lift the trophy in Rome.
Now his teammates Josh Tarling and Ben Turner look poised to attack.
Climbs and sprint points
11:52 , Flo CliffordHere are the key markers for today’s stage:
Climbs
- Roccaraso (cat 3) - 7.4km (km 0)
- Monte Urano (cat 2) - 4.5km, 9.4% average, 14% max (km 70)
- Vado della Forcella (cat 2) - 21.6km, 3.6% average, 9% max (km 105)
- Tagliacozzo (cat 1) - 12.6km, 5.4% average, 14% max (km168)
Intermediate sprints
- 1 - Sulmona (km 49.9)
- 2 - Ovindoli (km 115.5)
- Red Bull kilometre - Tagliacozzo (km 155.2)
Neutralised rollout
11:46 , Flo CliffordThe riders have signed on in Castel di Sangro. The neutralised start is at 12.50pm local time (11.50am BST) and official start at 12.55 (11.55 BST).
Giro d’Italia 2025 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles for all 21 days
11:40 , Flo CliffordWant to get ahead on the action after today? Lawrence Ostlere has put together a handy stage-by-stage guide to this year’s race:
Giro d’Italia 2025 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles for all 21 days
Who is leading the Giro d’Italia? Maglia rosa and general classification standings
11:34 , Flo CliffordMads Pedersen still leads the general classification by 17 seconds ahead of Primoz Roglic, the overall race favourite, with Pedersen’s teammate - and leader of the best young rider standings - Mathias Vacek rounding out the podium, 24 seconds off the lead.
Expect that to change today, though.
Who is leading the Giro d’Italia? Maglia rosa and general classification standings
What might have been
11:28 , Flo CliffordFrom a racing rather than safety standpoint, the two riders were probably going to be caught, but at this point still had a chance of contesting the stage win.
The fact that they had to check their movements and completely lost speed meant they were swallowed by the bunch soon after. It may have been inevitable, but they were denied the chance to keep fighting. If I was van der Hoorn and Paleni I’d be pretty miffed at that, too, as well as at nearly being taken out.
Protestors wreak havoc
11:21 , Flo CliffordThe other major drama on stage six was protestors running across the road in the closing stages of the race in Naples, recklessly endangering the breakaway of Taco van der Hoorn and Enzo Paleni.
Fortunately both riders managed to swerve them and weren’t hurt in the incident, but the sheer stupidity of the protestors’ actions could have had dire consequences.
UNACCEPTABLE 🤬 RESPECT THE RIDERS pic.twitter.com/wzBTfdP5aH
— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) May 15, 2025
Jan Hirt, Michel Ries will not start stage seven
11:14 , Flo CliffordIsrael-PremierTech’s Jan Hirt finished stage six but will not start stage seven, having sustained a right femur fracture, his team reported.
Likewise Arkea-B&B Hotels’ Michel Ries. His team have not specified any injuries from the crash but released a statement saying he would not start as a result.
🏥 Bulletin médical pic.twitter.com/XvlzZYWMCl
— ARKEA-B&B HOTELS (@arkeabbhotels) May 16, 2025
Medical update on Jan Hirt ⤵️
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) May 16, 2025
🇮🇹 #GirodItalia #YallaIPT #FactorRacing pic.twitter.com/31TJ6Hcl51
Abandons after stage six
11:08 , Flo CliffordSmith is out with hip pain, while Hindley suffered a concussion and was monitored overnight in hospital. His sports director Patxi Vila said he felt “a bit dizzy” after the crash yesterday and race doctors pulled him out as a result, fearing a head injury.
Alpecin-Deceuninck said yesterday that Hollmann has suffered a suspected broken arm, but have not released an update today.
🇮🇹 #GirodItalia
— Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe (@RBH_ProCycling) May 15, 2025
Initial medical exams revealed that Jai suffered a concussion following his crash at the Giro. He will remain overnight in hospital for observation. We wish him and all the other riders involved in the crash all the best for their recovery ❤️🩹
📸: Getty Sport pic.twitter.com/tk6E4KpsQY
Half our team crashed during Giro d'Italia stage 6: Gerben Thijssen, Francesco Busatto, Gijs Van Hoecke, and Dion Smith.
— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) May 15, 2025
Sadly, Dion suffered from strong hip pain and cannot continue. Get well soon Smithy. Smooth recovery to all riders affected ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/ny8D1i14ty
Our rider @JuriHollmann suffered a heavy crash at the @giroditalia and has been taken to hospital in Napoli. A broken arm is feared. We keep you updated as soon as we know more.
— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) May 15, 2025
📸 archive @PhotoNewsBe #AlpecinDeceuninck pic.twitter.com/hYIem2Kp7L
Abandons after stage six
11:02 , Flo CliffordRed Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Jai Hindley, Intermarche-Wanty’s Dion Smith and Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Juri Hollmann all abandoned as a result of that crash.
There were also reports that Josef Cerny and Jay Vine abandoned, but they received medical treatment and continued with the stage.
Alpecin take advantage of the chaos
10:56 , Flo Clifford“Once it started raining I felt quite a bit better, I’m quite good in the colder, wetter conditions,” Groves added.
“For sure I had confidence in my team, I believe in them. It’s super nice to win here in Napoli, it’s an iconic city for sure, and as a sprinter, many [Giro] stages arrive here and it’s always a dream to win it.”
'Big relief' to win - Kaden Groves
10:49 , Flo CliffordKaden Groves is now a two-time Giro stage winner and he opened his account for 2025 on stage six.
“Big relief, the team always believes in me and it’s not been a great start to the season, arrived here without a win so to get the first one is a big relief,” he said after the finish.
“With these wet roads they’re quite slippery so knowing the cobbles starting around the 2km mark it’s super important to be in the front, but we also needed to use some guys early to chase, close the breakaway. They did a super ride. In the end I still had two teammates, Plowright and Planckaert did a super job, and luckily I could slip back a few places and launch the sprint early off the wheels.”
Chaos on stage six
10:42 , Flo CliffordThe race was neutralised after a serious crash with 70km to go on wet, slippery roads, with 2022 winner Hindley, Intermarche-Wanty’s Dion Smith and Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Juri Hollmann all abandoning as a result of their injuries.
Hindley, a key domestique for race favourite Primoz Roglic, was helped into an ambulance and escorted to hospital with a suspected concussion after hitting the deck heavily at the front of the peloton.
The maglia rosa of Mads Pedersen, Richard Carapaz, Derek Gee, and Lorenzo Fortunato were among several other riders involved in the crash but they all managed to continue.
The race was temporarily stopped while the race directors and UCI commissaires discussed whether to continue with the stage or not. A decision was ultimately made to continue but with no points or bonus seconds awarded from the moment of the crash onwards, and all GC times neutralised at the time of the crash.
That meant there would be no changes to the overall standings and Pedersen and a large group made the decision not to contest the stage win in order to stay safe, dropping back and finishing 10 minutes down.
Kaden Groves wins crash-hampered Giro d’Italia stage six as 2022 winner Jai Hindley abandons
10:35 , Flo CliffordKaden Groves won stage six of the Giro d’Italia on a day of heavy disruption, with GC contender Jai Hindley among several riders forced to abandon the race after a nasty crash.
Milan Fretin of Cofidis and Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step rounded out the podium in Naples after the longest stage of this year’s a race, a 226km ride from Potenza.
A two-man breakaway of Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty) spent 192km at the front of the race and fought until the end, but were eventually swamped with just 2.5km remaining and a reduced bunch contested the sprint for the line.
Kaden Groves wins crash-hampered Giro d’Italia stage six as Jai Hindley abandons race
Stage six results
10:28 , Flo Clifford1) Kaden Groves (Alpecin - Deceuninck), in 4:59:52
2) Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
3) Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
5) Giovanni Lonardi (Polti VisitMalta)
6) Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling)
7) Martin Marcellusi (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane)
8) Luca Mozzato (Arkéa - B&B Hotels)
9) Matevz Govekar (Bahrain - Victorious)
10) Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), all at same time
Stage seven route map and profile
10:21 , Flo Clifford
How to watch
10:14 , Flo CliffordViewers in the UK can watch the Giro d’Italia on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Coverage starts at 11.30am BST, with the stage set to get underway at 11.50am BST.
Giro d'Italia stage seven preview
10:07 , Flo CliffordFor many the 2025 Giro d’Italia really kicks off today, with stage seven’s feast of climbing in the Apennines a likely place for opportunistic GC riders to make a difference.
Stage seven is a 168km run from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo, featuring a category three climb right out of the gate, two category twos in the middle of the day, and a fearsome category one to conclude - including a first summit finish in this year’s race.
It’s a perfect stage for a breakaway but could go two ways: either the general classification hopefuls keep their powder dry ahead of upcoming, more mountainous tests, or they look to make a difference on what is the first of only two summit finishes in this Giro.
Giro d’Italia Stage 7 preview: Map, standings and route to Tagliacozzo
Good morning
09:59 , Flo CliffordHello and welcome to live coverage of stage seven of the Giro d’Italia!
Good news for those tired of flat stages: there’s 3,500m of climbing on the menu today and the pink jersey is almost certain to change hands as the climbers get their day in the sun.
