"He can enjoy the jersey until tomorrow, and then hopefully I'll have it again" - Mads Pedersen sends warning Primoz Roglic after losing Maglia Rosa at 2025 Giro d'Italia

Mads Pedersen put up a brave defence of his Maglia Rosa on the stage 2 individual time trial at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. In the end though, it wasn't quite enough to keep hold of the race lead as the Dane drops to 2nd overall, just 1 second down on new race leader Primoz Roglic.

"I can't be unhappy," Pedersen reflected with a smile in his post-race interview afterwards, having been made to settle for the Maglia Ciclamino instead. "It was still a really good time trial and I was beaten by better guys. Yeah, it's a pity that Primoz was one second faster at that point, but it is what it is. For sure, we are still within reach of gaining back the jersey tomorrow and we will do our absolute best as a team to get the jersey back."

Finishing the day with the 7th fastest time, 12 seconds down on stage winner Joshua Tarling, it was still a very creditable effort for Pedersen, even if it ultimately saw him lose the Maglia Rosa. "For me, you know, everything went perfect. I can't make up any excuses or find any excuses," he analyses. "Like, guys were just better than me and faster than me. So I think I did a perfect TT and, as I said, I was beaten by better guys. Unlucky for me, it was just one second too much — and that's also cycling."

"If you have the leader jersey or not, you know, 15k time trial is going to be a painful amount no matter what. So there's no giving you wings with the jersey. I didn’t have wings that were big enough, at least today. But, it's always an honour to wear a jersey like this — I said it yesterday also — and I did what I could to honour the jersey and I think I did. It just wasn’t enough to keep it. But yeah, we try again tomorrow," Pedersen continues. "I didn’t really have time to focus too much on the jersey. When it’s a time trial like this, it’s just all out from the beginning to the finish. So, doesn’t matter what clothing you have on."

"A guy like Primoz has an advantage on a climb like this. You know, he’s one of the best climbers in the world and I’m a bit heavier than him, so of course he has a small advantage there. Plus, he’s a former Olympic champion and so on in time trial. So, it's not easy," adds the Lidl-Trek leader in conclusion. "It wasn’t flat, it was with a climb on, and Primož did this time trial to perfection. So, congrats. He can enjoy the jersey until tomorrow, and then hopefully I have it again."