Del Toro adds 5 seconds to his Giro lead and Pedersen wins his fourth stage

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Mexico’s Isaac del Toro of Uae Team Emirates celebrates after the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

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Denmark’s Pedersen Mads of Lidl–Trek Team, left, competes during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

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Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro of Uae Team Emirates, centre, and Belgium’s Wout van Aert of UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike, left, compete during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

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ADDS THE NAME Denmark’s Pedersen Mads of Lidl–Trek Team, left, competes during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

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The pack rides during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

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Mexico’s Isaac del Toro of Uae Team Emirates, left, and Poland’s Majka Rafal of Uae Team Emirates compete during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

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Wout van Aert of Belgium competes during the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race from Rovigo to Vicenza, Italy, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

VICENZA, Italy (AP) — Mexican rider Isaac Del Toro keeps on adding to his Giro d’Italia lead — even if it’s just a few seconds per day.

Del Toro’s third-place finish in the 13th stage on Friday, which had a short but steep uphill finale, extended his lead over UAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso by five seconds.

Danish rider Mads Pedersen claimed his fourth stage win of the race with a burst of acceleration up to the Monte Berico sanctuary.

Wout van Aert crossed second with the same time as Pedersen, and Del Toro finished third, two seconds behind but three seconds ahead of all the other overall contenders.

For the second straight day, Del Toro also picked up a two-second bonus during an intermediate sprint with 10 kilometers to go, while Ayuso picked up four seconds.

In the overall standings, Del Toro leads Ayuso by 38 seconds, with Antonio Tiberi 1:18 back in third.

Simon Yates was fourth, 1:20 behind, and Primoz Roglic fifth, 1:35 behind.

Del Toro became the first Mexican to lead the Giro on Sunday when he finished second.

“All the riders from the top 20 are crazily strong. They are Grand Tours winners, podium finishers, etc. and I’m the new guy here,” Del Toro said. “Maybe on paper I’m not the favorite but I have to be strong and listen to the guys in the team.”

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He’s riding his second Grand Tour after placing 36th in the Spanish Vuelta last year.

The 180-kilometer (112-mile) route from Rovigo to Vicenza was mostly flat — until the finale, which featured two ascents to Monte Berico, with an average gradient of 7.1% with the finishing meters at 12%.

Pedersen also won Stages 1, 3 and 5.

The mostly flat 14th stage on Saturday follows a 195-kilometer (121-mile) route from Treviso over the border into Slovenia with a finish in Nova Gorica. Then on Sunday, there’s a big climb up Monte Grappa at the stage’s midpoint.

The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling