"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.

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.

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.