"Absolutely insane" – Mads Pedersen hails Lidl-Trek's six-stage Giro and points jersey victory
Cycling
Mads Pedersen was unquestionably one of the standout
performers of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, capping off a sensational three-week
campaign by sealing the ciclamino points jersey and leading Lidl–Trek to six
stage wins, a feat few teams in history can match.
The Dane’s individual tally was remarkable: four stage
victories, including three in the opening week, and five days in the maglia
rosa before surrendering the race lead on Stage 7's summit finish to
Tagliacozzo. He officially wrapped up the points classification on Stage 21,
having already secured it mathematically two days earlier.
“We didn't have the time of our lives but we had a really
good time,” Pedersen told Cycling News after the final stage in Rome. “We
have six stage victories and the ciclamino jersey, it's incredible. Not a lot
of teams will ever be able to do this, so for us this is absolutely insane to
be able to do it.”
The final tally also included stage wins for Carlos Verona
and Daan Hoole, in what proved to be a masterfully executed Grand Tour for
Lidl–Trek.
Reflecting on the Giro experience, Pedersen was candid about
why he prefers the Italian Grand Tour to the Tour de France, an event he is notably skipping this year in
favour of teammate Jonathan Milan.
Was Pedersen the best rider at the Giro?
“I've always liked the races like this, the Giro and the
Vuelta,” he said. “The Tour is really stressful and it takes a lot of attention
and pressure, not only from ourselves but also from management and sponsors and
so on.”
“While here, there's a bit more freedom and you can play
around a bit. Okay, we were also lucky, in the first five days we already had
three victories and of course that helps to make it more free, to play around
and try what we want. But I really enjoy it as well.”
On Stage 21, Pedersen rode conservatively in the sprint
finale, happy to avoid unnecessary risk as the race wound down.
“It's one of these days, I was not really willing to risk it
to win, but I ended up in a good position in the last corner,” he explained. “To
be honest I didn't have the legs to pass Kooij in the sprint or even open the
sprint. I just found myself in the wheel and opened the sprint in his wheel and
then stayed there until we passed the finish line. In the end, no risk today
and I'm here still today with all my skin and that's successful.”
While he won’t be at the Tour de France next month, Pedersen
leaves Italy satisfied and proud of both his own results and his team’s
collective success.
“I know this is not the Tour, and this is not the pink
jersey or anything like that. But with the race we've had I think we can give
ourselves a big round of applause and be proud of what we did.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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