"I've thought it was a mistake" - Mads Pedersen takes impressive win in Tour de France after risky breakaway

Trek - Segafredo came to the Tour de France with the goal of obtaining a stage win, and they have succeeded today as Mads Pedersen cross the line first in Saint-Étienne on what was a complicated transition day.

“It’s incredible. I finally take the win I was looking for. Coming to the Tour, I knew my shape was good but I missed the opportunities in the first week. I took my chance today. It’s really nice to get the reward," the Dane said after the stage. As one of the favourites for the stage win, for a sprint, it was a surprise to see him up the road early on trying to make it into the front group.

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He tried twice, successful on the second occasion, joined by teammate Quinn Simmons. The seven-rider group rolled well throughout the day, managing to comfortably hold off a fast but unsustainable peloton. Isolated in the final section of the stage, it was expected that Pedersen's rivals would put him under pressure, however he was the one dealing a blow as he split the group into two with 13 kilometers to go.

"The plan was that if more than four riders in the break, we should be in and I should be in. But for a long time, I’ve thought it was a mistake and we’d get caught by the bunch. But it was hard for everyone. It was such a long day. With 12km to go, I thought we were too many guys in the front group so I tried to attack. Luckily we split up the break and it was easier to control," he detailed.

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Pedersen ended up riding a perfect stage, putting to good use his versatility to take a stage win in an unexpected scenario. This was the first one for Trek - Segafredo, who will have a lot of pressure of their shoulders after this triumph. "As a team, we came only with riders for stages, it’s a relief to get one win," he concluded.

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