“I ended up ridiculously far back, stuck in the washing machine” – Mads Pedersen’s sprint frustrations boil over as Tour de France green jersey lead is cut
CyclingWednesday, 15 July 2026 at 17:52
Mads Pedersen saw a promising position disappear during the chaotic finale of Stage 11 at the 2026 Tour de France, eventually finishing 11th as Biniam Girmay reduced his advantage in the points classification.
The Lidl-Trek leader entered the final two kilometres exactly where he wanted to be, but lacked teammates around him as the lead-out trains assembled on the narrow approach to Nevers.
“Not good enough...” was Pedersen’s immediate verdict to TV 2 Sport.
“I ended up ridiculously far back, stuck in the washing machine and getting pissed around by everybody else,” he said. “It was a bit shit.”
Pedersen isolated as lead-out trains take control
Stage 11 was raced at an average speed of approximately 50.9km/h, making it the fastest in Tour de France history. The four-rider breakaway was caught with six kilometres remaining before the pace briefly eased as the sprint teams fought for position.
Decathlon CMA CGM Team retained several riders around Olav Kooij, while Alpecin-Premier Tech assembled behind Jasper Philipsen. “It was actually going well until two kilometres from the finish,” Pedersen explained. “At that point, I was where I needed to be."
“But it isn’t easy when you’re sitting there alone. It becomes difficult when the other teams arrive and can use their riders for the lead-out," he added. "I started drifting backwards while trying to find a way in, and they weren’t simply going to let me move in front of Philipsen or Kooij.”
Soren Waerenskjold ultimately surprised the established favourites with a long sprint, beating Kooij and Philipsen. Girmay finished sixth, while Pedersen was unable to recover enough positions to enter the top 10.
Pedersen retains the Green Jersey
Girmay closes green jersey gap
Pedersen had strengthened his position earlier in the stage by beating Girmay at the intermediate sprint. He collected eight points behind the breakaway and Philipsen, with Girmay taking seven.
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Girmay added 26 points in sixth place at the finish, while Pedersen’s 11th position earned him 16. The Dane ended the stage with 317 points, maintaining the green jersey but seeing his advantage over Girmay fall from 54 to 45.
Philipsen moved above Tim Merlier into third on 255 points, leaving him 62 behind Pedersen. “It was the kind of day we had hoped wouldn’t happen,” Pedersen admitted. “But we can take some comfort from the fact that neither Philipsen nor Girmay won.”
Waerenskjold’s victory prevented either of Pedersen’s closest rivals from taking the maximum 100 points available at the finish, limiting the damage from a sprint in which the green jersey had been left isolated.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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