"Last time at Vuelta it also took thirteen days before we managed to win" - Mads Pedersen not worried by weaker start

Mads Pedersen has not yet found his sprinter legs at this Vuelta. In the three opportunities there were for the fast men, the maximum possible for Pedersen was a second place when he lost to David Gaudu in final meters of the third stage. As peloton entered France, the Lidl-Trek sprinter had another opportunity to shine with an uphill drag finish, but couldn't reach further than a sixth place. A small consolidation prize is his move into the lead of points classification.

"I don't know why I'm laughing now, but it's nice to be leading the points classification. But Madrid is still a long way off. We're far from the green jersey, but we are one step closer to our goal," he told Eurosport.

"This is another missed opportunity, but it is what it is." Pedersen recounts that his previous start at the Spanish Grand Tour was far from smooth sailing too: "The last time I rode the Vuelta (in 2022, ed.), it also took thirteen days before we managed to win. That just goes to show: nothing is impossible."

"We need to sit down and figure out how to approach the upcoming stages. It's important to learn from our mistakes. The finale was very chaotic, and it's not always easy to set up a good lead-out," he added. "We'll keep trying. It's the first time we're really racing together like this, so it's also important to lay a foundation for the coming years in this Vuelta," concludes the Dane.