“I feel guilty" - Mixed emotions for Mads Pedersen after dramatic finale sees him complete the 'Pederslam' at the Giro d'Italia

For Trek - Segafredo's Mads Pedersen, his dramatic victory on stage 6 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia saw a major career goal ticked off his bucket list as he completed his set of Grand Tour stage wins. Given the manner of his victory however, he has mixed emotions.

“I feel guilty towards these guys,” the 27-year-old Danish sprinter told a post-stage interview in the immediate aftermath of his win. The reason for this guilt? The fact that the breakaway duo of Simon Clarke and Alessandro De Marchi saw the day out come to an end with just 200m left to the finish line.

“I am of course very happy. It is very nice to be looking for victory now, because this is what we came for. It was a very tough stage and I am happy to repay the team,” continues Pedersen. “It was still very close in the last kilometres. We had to deploy everyone to get back at the escapees. Not only we had to do that, but all teams. I myself then planned to make it a long sprint, but then Gaviria already started. Then I had someone nice to focus on.”