“One of my career goals is now accomplished”: Mads Pedersen puts green jersey out of reach before final stage in Paris

Mads Pedersen is set to win the points classification at the 2026 Tour de France after another aggressive display on stage 20. The Lidl-Trek rider joined the early breakaway, collected maximum points at the intermediate sprint, and moved beyond the reach of his rivals. With only the final stage into Paris remaining, the Dane now needs only to reach the finish to claim the green jersey for the first time in his career.

Pedersen wasted no time getting involved on the final mountain stage, making the day's decisive breakaway before targeting the intermediate sprint. His reward was the full haul of 25 points, effectively putting the green jersey beyond the reach of the rest of the field.

After the stage, Pedersen admitted the achievement fulfilled one of his biggest ambitions. “It’s nice! What a week, and what a Tour this has been. And one of my career goals is now accomplished. It’s absolutely incredible to close the book today and basically just have to finish tomorrow,” he said in a post-race interview.

The Dane explained that he carefully managed his effort on the early slopes of the Col de la Croix de Fer before making his move when the opportunity presented itself. “I didn’t want to overdo it at the bottom, so I went with my own pace. Then at one point they slowed down a bit in the peloton.”

Recognizing the terrain suited a late acceleration, Pedersen committed fully. “I knew it would flatten a bit over the last five kilometres, so I had to take the chance and then do a good downhill. It paid off. It was absolutely incredible.”

With the points classification virtually secured, Pedersen no longer has to worry about defending his advantage on the final stage.

Instead, the Lidl-Trek rider can focus entirely on chasing one more prestigious victory on the Champs-Élysées.

“Now I don’t have to think about bad luck, punctures or whatever. Now it’s all in for the win in Paris.”