It was the first mountain stage of the U23 Giro d’Italia, showcasing a depth of climbing talent and several standout performances.
Giro d’Italia Next Gen stage 3 2025 profile
One of the most impressive riders in the u23 cohort isPaul Seixas, who at just 18 years old already finished in the top 10 at the Critérium du Dauphiné, further proof of why he holds some of the greatest climbing performances ever recorded in the junior and cadet categories. However he is not in this race and yet the amount of top climbers is still outstanding compared to previous years.
The 2006 birth year is stacked with talent: Lorenzo Finn, Albert Withen Philipsen, Adrià Pericas, and Jakob Omrzel all featured prominently, while Jarno Widar and Jørgen Nordhagen led the way among the 2005 cohort. Top U23 riders born in 2004 and 2003, such as Isaac del Toro and Lenny Martinez, no longer compete in U23 races.
The final climb, Passo del Maniva (10.03 km at 8.02%), was ideal for testing climbing form, although the lead-in was demanding, with a long, shallow section covered at high speed. Lorenzo Finn, the 2024 Junior World Champion, expended 2598 kilojoules over 3:01 hours at a rate of 13.89 kJ/kg/h, making it a tough day of racing for the U23 peloton.
Visma | Lease a Bike Development put all their hopes on Jørgen Nordhagen, who had already impressed on Thyon 2000 in the Tour de Romandie against a world-class field. He attacked multiple times and eventually got a gap, but the GC group, paced by Luke Tuckwell of Red Bull Rookies, kept him within reach. Nordhagen was caught, and soon after, Lorenzo Finn and 2024 race winner Jarno Widar broke away. Widar launched a late attack to take the stage win.
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The overall climbing level was extremely high, especially considering the stage profile and the non-optimal gradients before the final climb. Jarno Widar produced 6.26 ᵉW/kg for 27:38 minutes, or 6.58 ᵉW/kg normalized for altitude, a performance that would have been competitive during the Sky era and worthy of a WorldTour stage win. Even the 9th-placed Filippo Turconi managed 6.07 ᵉW/kg.