"It's a done deal. It's so awful to watch" - Mads Pedersen bashes Tour de France criteriums and fixed result races

The post-Tour de France criteriums are a long-standing tradition in pro cycling in which there are exhibition races (mostly in France and Belgium in the weeks following) in Europe and Asia after the end of the season. The Singapore and Saitama Criteriums recently have attracted a lot of headlines, and are an opportunity for riders to spend their vacation far away and in a new culture. However the racing aspect does not please everyone, including Mads Pedersen.

From the outside it is perhaps not obvious, but these events typically have fixed results, with the outcome being agreed on beforehand, regularly featuring the big stars present in the event. In Saitama recently for example, Jonas Vingegaard took the victory in a flat criterium after attacking Primoz Roglic; whilst Jonathan Milan (wearing the Tour de France's green jersey) and Kaden Groves sprinted to complete the podium.

The term exhibition races is quite literal, as this is an event set to attract the cycling fans from the nations they visit out and provide spectacle in two countries that very rarely get the chance to ost the top riders and teams in the world. The riders are also payed for their presence in large part, whilst several take the opportunity to explore new countries - or locations they quite enjoy.

But on the other side of the spectrum, there are riders who have no interesting in taking part in these events, and the ever-honest Mads Pedersen goes as far as saying they are awful to watch, and the fixed-result aspect of them makes it rather odd. "I have refused a couple of times. You should never say never, but it is the last thing I want to do," the Dane said in his own podcast Lang Distance.

"It's a done deal. It's so awful to watch, because none of the riders are even trying to make it look like they're doing a bike race. It's more important that they're wearing some kind of bike helmet with a top hat on and a flap on top in a sumo wrestler's suit. That's what they're paid to do," he argues.

Will Pedersen however be part of such events next year? The situation could change as the Lidl-Trek rider wants to return to the Tour de France, and has high chances of doing so after Jonathan Milan's success this year conquering the green jersey. Pedersen, winner of the classification at both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España this year, would certainly have a big issue with the American team if he was rejected a participation in the Grand Boucle for a second year in a row.