“He was so f*cking strong!" - Mads Pedersen full of praise for Marco Frigo after thrilling finale to stage 2 at the Tour de la Provence

The relentless start to 2024 continued for Mads Pedersen on stage 2 of the Tour de la Provence in Manosque on Saturday afternoon, taking a thrilling stage win to break the heart of breakaway hero Marco Frigo in the final 200m.

“The boys worked so hard, but it became difficult to regain the leader. He was – pardon my words – so fucking strong! It wasn't easy to catch up with him," Pedersen said post-stage, full of praise for Israel - Premier Tech's Italian star. “In the end it was instinct. I did it by feeling and hoped for the best. It was a difficult situation we were in and the boys had been working very hard for a long time. I thought it would be better if we were in a smaller group where everyone could make a head turn, but they didn't want to cooperate.”

At the 2024 Tour de la Provence, Pedersen has now taken victory in the prologue, a bunch sprint on stage 1 and now in a heroic last-gasp fight to the line on stage 3. Nevertheless, the Dane remains hard to please despite the success.

“I'm just happy to win and give the boys the win they deserve," concludes the Lidl-Trek leader. “I agree with Julien Bernard that it was one of the worst days ever on a bike. It wasn't a nice day. We were often at an altitude of about 700 meters, which is not nice when it rains like today and it is two degrees. It was a tough day for everyone. And if you look at the guys who crossed the line, they didn't look good.”