"I would like to get to 15 before I stop": Mads Pedersen sets ambitious Grand Tour goal ahead of Vuelta a España
CyclingMonday, 03 August 2026 at 23:00
Mads Pedersen heads to the Vuelta a España with ambitious goals after another successful Tour de France. The Lidl-Trek star is determined to add several more Grand Tour stage victories to his palmarès, while also anticipating another thrilling rivalry with Wout van Aert in Spain.
Pedersen chasing 15 Grand Tour stage victories
Fresh off winning a stage and the green jersey at the Tour de France, Pedersen is already looking ahead to his next major objective. The Dane will line up at the Vuelta a España hoping to add multiple stage victories to his impressive Grand Tour tally. "A couple of stage wins would be lovely."
Currently sitting on 12 Grand Tour stage victories, Pedersen has already set himself a clear career target. "I would like to get to 15 before I stop," he said in his podcast.
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The 30-year-old recently confirmed he plans to retire after the 2029 UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, believing a home World Championships would provide the perfect finale to his career. He has also cited his desire to start a family and the physical demands of professional cycling as reasons for ending his career at 33.
Pedersen has won five Giro d'Italia stages, three at the Tour de France and four at the Vuelta. Three more victories in Spain would see him reach his goal immediately. He even joked that achieving the milestone this year would mean he would never need to win another Grand Tour stage.
Mads Pedersen during the 2026 Tour de France
Another showdown with Van Aert
Pedersen also expects to renew his rivalry with Wout van Aert during the three-week race. The pair produced several memorable battles during the 2025 Giro d'Italia, and with both riders expected to start the Vuelta, Pedersen believes more duels are inevitable.
When asked whether another head-to-head battle with Van Aert was coming, his answer was emphatic. “You can bet on that.”
The Vuelta starts in Monaco on 22 August before finishing in Granada on 13 September, with high temperatures expected throughout the race.
After taking a short break following the Tour de France, Pedersen has already begun his preparations. Following a criterium appearance and several easy training rides, he is now starting a dedicated training block that includes heat adaptation sessions.
The Dane knows exactly what awaits him. “It is going to be brutal, so I might as well get used to it.”
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- @JumpyJohn - absolutely, he should have gone for the triple when he'd already won the Giro and Tour in '24. It seems that he instead went for the dream of winning all 5 monuments in one year, over the past 2 years. Maybe he'll go for the Giro/Tour double next year to do what Froome could not from '17 to '18.RidesHills03-08-2026
- I doubt media would have treated it the same way, after all, his season is pretty much what everyone was hoping and expecting and not that different from recent years. Probably the only ambitious goal now would be declaring to want to win all 3 GTs the same year to make real history and yet, he may have missed the opportunity, it won’t get easier from now on, age and a number of riders to wear him out creeping up. Has I been in his position, I would have gone for that last year or this year and collected all the other milestones later.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Elaborate pleaseJumpyjohn03-08-2026
- You’ve (unbeknownst to yourself) created an interesting situation, having sound advice for a man who is known for not following it. If I were you, I’d quit the posting and set about on a mission to tell it to the man’s face in order to save him another embarrassment.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Considering it’s after the Tour and Vuelta which Wout will probably ride very differently to Tadej, I think the question is legitimate and you are getting ahead of yourself.Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- In both cases, you are not forced to watch and way less affected by it than some people you have to watch for years that are hard to avoid, although in some countries (sometimes with the help of hypocritical outside interference) that period is now dropping rapidly ;-)Jumpyjohn03-08-2026
- Usain Bolt winning took up less than 10 seconds of my life. This is a 3 week bike race.joebloggs03-08-2026
- Tadej will wrap up the Vuelta in the first week. I just hope he doesn't spend the rest of his tour playing domestique for João Almeida and trying to make it podium. Pogi should ride like Jonas did last year. Conserve his energy for the World Championships.
PogiFan2Day03-08-2026 - Or support a fellow countryman at the Worlds, and target the European championship (which he has to ride, again the organisers making it impossible for him to refuse).Hills3303-08-2026
- Remco's "mano-a-mano stage win" came while Pogacar was dragging del Toro to the finishfredlyfred03-08-2026
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