LECCE, Italy — Casper van Uden won a bunch sprint at the end of the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia for the biggest victory of his career, while Mads Pedersen kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey.
Van Uden, a Grand Tour debutant who rides for Team Picnic-PostNL, edged out Olav Kooij as the three-week race resumed in the heel of Italy after the opening three stages in Albania.
Maikel Ziljaard was third at the end of the mostly flat, 117-mile route from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello to Lecce.
Pedersen was fourth to maintain his nine-second lead over pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic and his 14-second advantage over Mathias Vacek.
Stage 5 finishes at another World Heritage site as it ends in Matera, which is renowned for its “Sassi” or ancient cave dwellings, after a 151-kilometer route from Ceglie Messapica.
The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.
