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.

Former world champion Mads Pedersen narrowly beat Wout van Aert in a sprint finish to win the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia on Friday and claim the first pink jersey of this year’s race, which started in Albania for the first time.

The white smoke may have finally appeared above the Vatican, but Italy’s great race will see a miasma of pink dance across the roofs of ancient clay when the race concludes there in three weeks’ time.