"I race to win, so that's nice" - Mads Pedersen shows strong pre-Tour de France form with sprint win at Criterium du Dauphine
Cycling
In his return to racing for the first time since Paris-Roubaix, Lidl-Trek superstar Mads Pedersen powered to victory on the opening stage of the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine, showing some strong pre-Tour de France form.
"I like races in France, from big to small. It's always well-organised and fun racing, so then it's also nice to win," reflected the former world champion in his post-stage interview, adding an eighth win of the season to his ever-growing palmares in style. "Carlos Verona rode well in the lead all day. "Even with two men in the lead we rode very hard, then Alex Kirsch watched the lead-out to perfection. Toms Skujins also did a great job before him and Ryan ended up setting me off well last, so it was a leadout straight out of the book."
With very few sprint opportunities at the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine, it was imperative that the sprinters in the peloton made the most of the opening stage. As such, the final sprint battle was fierce, with Pedersen eventually taking the win ahead of Sam Bennett and Hugo Page. "Every win gives confidence. I cycle to win, so that's nice," Pedersen assesses.
With a massive week of climbing to come however, the Dane realises he's unlikely to spend very long in the leaders jersey. "I don't think it will be for me," he laughs. "As leader, nobody is going to let me in the breakaway either, so we will control to honour the jersey. In doing so, we also have two classification leaders (Tao Geoghegan Hart and Giulio Ciccone ed.) and that will also be part of my task."
Opting for a different pre-Tour de France plan this year, Pedersen skipped the Giro d'Italia and opted for a long rest ahead of the Dauphine. If this stage is anything to go by, the choice was the right one.
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Back with a bang 💥 #Dauphiné 📸 @GettySport
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