Mads Pedersen forced to abandon Tour de France after high-speed crash on stage 5 sprint

Mads Pedersen will not continue the Tour de France. The Lidl-Trek rider was on an incredible sequence where he's won stages on all four previous Grand Tours he participated in but that run has ended as the effects of a high-speed crash left him with no choice.

Lidl-Trek shared on social media this morning: "Unfortunately Mads Pedersen will not be on the start line of @LeTour Stage 8. Join us in wishing Mads a good recovery and we’re sure, like us, you are looking forward to seeing what he can do later in the season once he’s back to 100%."

The Dane entered the Tour with the goal of winning a third consecutive Tour de France win and also contesting for the points classification, where he was among the first up until that point. But on the fifth stage that changed, in the same sprint that crowned Mark Cavendish as a record-holding rider.

As the Manxman swerved through the road, Mads Pedersen who was boxed in ended up crashing against the barriers. Axel Zingle notably bunny-hopped over him moments. Pedersen managed to avoid fractures despite the difficult fall but clearly the damage made an impact.

The following day he contested the sprint but only rode to 15th on the day. As of this Friday, he was second in the points classification and Biniam Girmay's closest contender. But after stage 6, with no breakaway, he was awarded the combativity award and was actually quite unhappy with the situation that unfolded:

"I would have preferred to be in the shower. After four hours of racing I now have to waste another half hour of my time here," Pedersen told Het Nieuwsblad before climbing onto the podium to collect the prize. "They should have given that prize to someone else, but I'll accept it with a smile, right? In the meantime my wounds are leaking again."