"He told me he wanted me to attack and go solo" - Mathias Vacek turns down Mads Pedersen's offer to help team leader to another Giro d'Italia stage win

Mads Pedersen once again proved strongest on stage 5 at the 2025 Giro d'Italia with a powerful uphill sprint to the line in Matera. Had it not been for the Maglia Rosa's Lidl-Trek teammate Mathias Vacek however, things could easily have been very different.

Vacek controlled the front of the race masterfully on the final climb, denying any potential attacks and then when the time was right, helping to launch Pedersen in the final sprint. "Maybe I was the strongest, but we had a plan with the team — we were going for Mads again. He did a really, really great job," Vacek reflected in a post-stage interview afterwards. "It was a hard final for him, and at one moment on the last kick, he told me I should go. I thought maybe he had good legs and wanted me to put the group under more pressure. But then he told me he wanted me to attack and go solo."

"In the end, I got info from the sports director that he was a bit far back, so I slowed down at the top of the climb to wait for him," continues the Czech. "When I saw in the last kilometre that he had my wheel, I launched a really good lead-out — and yeah, he pulled it off again. I mean, he’s a crazy guy. To suffer like that on the climb and then sprint like this? It’s amazing."

Despite Pedersen's offer, Vacek never really gave up his role of domestique. "It could’ve been a chance. But for me, he was the leader today," he explains. "I had it in my head that way. When he says something, it’s 100% — he can do it. I really believe in him, and I’m the kind of guy who’s really loyal to him. I wanted him to win again today, and it's amazing to see him do it."

"The Giro is still long, and I believe I’ll have my chance in the next days. We’re not even one week in and it’s already incredible. If I could win one stage, that would be amazing — it would make this an incredible year already," Vacek concludes. "For me, I’m really looking forward to the gravel stage in Siena. We’ll see how it goes. The team is working really well so far, and every chance we get, we’re taking it 100%. We’ll see what comes."