"Sometimes you have to believe in the crazy stuff" - Mads Pedersen declares himself a European Championships contender despite brutal climb
Cycling
Mads Pedersen has backed himself as a contender at the European Championships after his remarkable on-the-limit World Championships performance. As part of a versatile Denmark line-up, the Lidl-Trek versatile sprinter wants to follow up his Montreal ride with Slovenian heroics.
The odds are against him, however. Like in Montreal, he faces several climbers better suited to the terrain. While his technique of threading the line between his maximum effort and threshold worked to his advantage in Canada, it may not have the same effect in a course with just a steep climb, descent and flat section.
He raced mostly behind the favourites until the closing 20 kilometres in Montreal to a fourth place finish. In Ljubljana, he knows a shorter course and more black and white between the climb and flat means that he may have to push the envelope further and go beyond his limit and hope for the best.
He arrived in Slovenia late on Saturday after riding the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro: "I was here at 10.15 [pm, Ed.], I was in the hotel already, so it was not too bad. I think we had longer transfer days in the Vuelta than I had yesterday," Pedersen told CyclingProNet at the start on Sunday.
"I feel quite good. I had a good week of not riding and riding, and we managed to do well with the sleeping, so I feel quite good and recovered."
Mads Pedersen
Pedersen motivated by medals
Acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead, he claimed his only motivation is a medal for Denmark - whether it comes from him or a teammate by day's end.
"I know it's a really tough climb. It's two kilometers and pretty steep, so I know it's really on the limit, but we said the same about Worlds, and there in the end I was fighting for medals.
"Sometimes you have to believe in the crazy stuff, and with this team we believe that me or some of my teammates can do a good job on this course. Honestly, I don't care who of us it is, at least someone from Denmark is having a medal when we come home from here. We will see if I'm able to follow or I go more in the supportive role, this we will find out during the day."
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Lidl-Trek rider taking gamble
While Pedersen and the peloton know exactly what cards he has to play, it's still a gamble for the Tour de France green jersey. He sees the climb as the main task to get over before a downhill and flat finish plays much more in his favour.
"I think today I have to go over the limit to follow, I can't do it the same, because it's 75 kilometers shorter here than it was in Worlds, and the distance helped me in Canada. Here it's only 200 kilometers, so I definitely need a different approach for today, but that's how it is.
"We gamble and we see how many times I can make it over, and hopefully we can come over the climb in a good position and then make it back on the downhill and be there for medals."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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