"A masterpiece of teamwork" - Mads Pedersen's win the cherry on the cake for Lidl-Trek's Tour de France work of art
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 18:54
Stage 4 of the Tour de France was a hilly day that was seen as hard to control. Mads Pedersen won the stage as the pre-race favourite, however in circumstances that few would've expected - a breakaway triumph, in which he had two teammates control the finale for him to win in a small group sprint.
A masterclass of biblical proportions
Rarely does a plan come together so smoothly, but that is what was seen today by Lidl-Trek. The insertion of Mathias Vacek and Quinn Simmons in the day's breakaway next to the bold Pedersen proved to be a perfect tactic, and a plan executed to perfection.
The Dane had to survive the day's climbs, but did so with some of his very best climbing performances. “This was a masterpiece of teamwork. Uphill, especially on the final climb, I really suffered immensely. But Mathias Vacek and Quinn Simmons made sure I didn't lose too much time, and after that, they were real machines all the way to the finish line," Pedersen said in a post-race interview.
The team had three riders in a selection of 10 that made it through the Col de Montségur, and had the firepower to control the many attacks. In a dashing sprint to the line, Pedersen was nowhere close to being matched by his rivals, and has taken his first Tour de France win in three years.
Thie victory was dedicated to Luca Guercilena, the team's departing general manager who is having at the Tour his final outing with the team. "Before the race, I had a conversation with Luca Guercilena. He said 'please make sure you win a stage early in the Tour'."
"And he said that this would be a good stage for me. This stage is for Luca, as a thank you for all the good years together. I am very grateful to him for everything he has done for me".
Mathias Vacek was crucial in controlling the attacks in favour of Pedersen
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Pedersen jumps into points classification lead
“You just have to do what you can to cool down on a day like today. Being in the breakaway is actually better in that situation. The pace was high all day, and closing all the gaps provided some cooling. And in that respect, too, it is a collective effort: there were many people along the side of the course with ice and drinks. That helped tremendously as well".
Pedersen had been in the day's breakaway on the previous day and, through his climbing ability, has built himself a strong path into the green green jersey. With 50 points on the line and an intermediate sprint, it was an incredibly important day for the Dane who almost took every single point there was - whilst only Jasper Philipsen and Girmay could gather some in the intermediate sprint.
“It is also a good day in the fight for the green jersey. I would have liked to beat Girmay and Philipsen at the intermediate sprint, but fortunately I still took fifty points at the finish," he added.
The lead he now has over the two sprinters is of around 70 points, a very big buffer ahead of the first actual bunch sprint stage. With the green and white jerseys; alongside the team's classification, Lidl-Trek have net themselves the perfect day whilst keeping Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose safe in the peloton.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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