“Emotional for all of us” – Mads Pedersen celebrates Carlos Verona’s Stage 15 victory as Lidl-Trek’s dream Giro continues

Mads Pedersen has already claimed four stage wins at the 2025 Giro d’Italia, but on Stage 15, it was someone else’s victory that meant the most to him. Carlos Verona delivered a sensational solo win on the mountainous stage to Monte Grappa, capping off a superb day for Lidl-Trek and pushing the team’s tally to six stage victories in this year’s race. Speaking to Eurosport after the stage, Pedersen couldn’t hide his joy for his teammate.

“It means an insane amount. Just like with Dan, when he won the time trial. It's a really amazing feeling – for me too. I'm so happy that he was able to do this. It's really cool and really nice.”

For Pedersen, Verona’s win was even more meaningful than his own Giro success.

“This victory means more to me than the last one I got here in the Giro. Because Carlos works so hard, and he's always there for the rest of us. There's never any fuss, there's never any fuss. He works his ass off so that we can deliver results. So to see a man like that get such a victory on the big stage – it's 'emotional' for all of us.”

The Danish star, who was caught in a crash on Stage 14, confirmed he is still managing some pain but remains optimistic, “It's fine. I can see it's a little swollen, but it's nothing that matters, so all in all it's been a great day. A good long six hours on the frame.”