“It’s no shame to be beaten by him” - Van Uden satisfied with second after long sprint in Giro stage finish

Casper van Uden came close to claiming a second stage win at the 2025 Giro d’Italia on Thursday, but had to settle for second behind fellow Dutchman Olav Kooij in a fiercely contested sprint.

The Team Picnic PostNL rider, who already tasted victory on Stage 5, launched a long sprint in Pisa, hoping to surprise the field. “I was a bit early,” Van Uden told CyclingProNet. “But I think it was a good sprint. I can be satisfied with it for now.”

Coming out of the final corner, Van Uden deliberately left a small gap before launching. “I wanted to speed up to the men in front of me and then pass them. Olav just looked to the side and then he also went full on, so that took away my surprise a bit.”

Despite that, the Dutchman was content with his approach. “Maybe it was too early, but better too early than too late,” he said. “It was already quite chaotic before that. Everyone wanted to be at the front, but then it's just close your eyes and go.”

Van Uden credited his team for delivering him into position and held no regrets about the timing. “I think we did fine and I was set off well, so we can be happy. I was in a good wheel and wanted to make it a long sprint. Kooij is of course also very fast. It’s no shame to be beaten by him.”