Mads Pedersen misses European Championships and ends season due to illness

Mads Pedersen has had the best season of his career, one highlighted by many different strong results. However it has been cut short due to illness that began affecting him this week and won't allow him to race the European Championships road race.

There were signs that not everything was perfect after the Dane had been removed from the startlist of the Münsterland Giro, however the fears have now been confirmed by Lidl-Trek who will instead be led by home rider Tim Torn Teutenberg.

"Unfortunately, after a long and successful racing season, Mads Pedersen has been taken out of action by illness," the team wrote. "He will therefore miss both Münsterland Giro and the European Championship this weekend and end his racing season. Get well soon, Mads!" This means he will also miss out on the road race at the European Championships, where he could be an important support rider for Jonas Vingegaard and Mattias Skjelmose.

Pedersen is among the three top-scoring riders this year together with Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard - who benefited largely from their Grand Tour GC results. The Lidl-Trek rider has been active since February bringing in victories and strong results all-round, whilst also gathering a lot of attention from his attitude and ambition in the peloton.

He won a stage and overall classification at the Tour de la Provence; a stage and points classification at Paris-Nice; 7th at Milano-Sanremo; 5th at Dwars door Vlaanderen; 3rd at Paris-Roubaix; 2nd at the E3 Saxo Classic and Tour of Flanders; and won Gent-Wevelgem in the spring. In the latter, he won convincingly with a dominant solo attack such as those of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel who he would often match in the cobbles.

He won four stages and the maglia ciclamino at the Giro d'Italia, and at the Vuelta a España he also won the points classification alongside a stage - together with Jonathan Milan's Tour green jersey, the team made history by winning the points classification in all Grand Tours in one year. Pedersen also won the Danish time-trial national championships and the Tour of Denmark alongside three stage wins.