Mads Pedersen lined up to Tour de Pologne as one of its biggest stars and attention drawers, however the first three stages with hill-top finish didn't exactly fit the Dane's profile. Hence he must've been very much looking forward to the expected sprinter stages on days 4, 5 and 7. But Pedersen only gets one sprint chance in Poland as a crash in the fifth stage forces the former world champion to abandon the race.
For the fourth stage, his teammates from Lidl-Trek did everything possible to prepare a luxury position for their leader. Frankly the last leadout man stepped out a touch too early and Pedersen ended up serving as a luxury leadout for winner Olav Kooij as the Dane himself crossed the line in third place.
The following day seemed like a perfect opportunity to get back at his opponents with another flat stage with both start and finish in Katowice. Pedersen appeared to be in an ideal position in the run up to the final kilometers of the stage until a crash a with just a bit more than 3 km to go took out many riders including favourites such as Phil Bauhaus and the before mentioned Pedersen.
The 28-year-old was able to finish the stage, but later after an evaluation on his team hotel, it was decided he won't continue his adventure in Poland in favor of healing his wounds with view to remaining goals for 2024. This includes both the European (September 15) and World Championships (Spetember 29). Especially at the Continental chapionships in Belgium, we must count Pedersen among main favourites.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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Heal up @Mads__Pedersen 💪 After yesterday’s crash at @Tour_de_Pologne, team and rider agreed to abandon the race in order to let his body recover well
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