“This was a stage for Pedersen” – Former Vuelta winner Horner scolds Lidl-Trek

Stage 3 of the 2025 Vuelta a España delivered a huge upset, as David Gaudu stunned the Danish pair of Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard to win on the uphill finish in Mondovì. The Frenchman timed his attack to perfection on the final switchback, slipping inside Pedersen and Vingegaard to claim his first stage win of this year’s race. While the result was celebrated in the Groupama – FDJ camp, Chris Horner was busy unpacking exactly how it all unfolded on the former winner of the Vuelta’s podcast.

From the start, Horner identified stage 3 as one that should have been perfect for Lidl-Trek and Pedersen. “This is a perfect stage for a classic rider like Mads Pedersen,” he said, pointing to the 2.4km finish with its 7% ramps in the final kilometre. According to Horner, the Dane’s raw finishing speed should have been decisive if his team could deliver him to the last 200 metres in control.

After all, Pedersen comes into the Vuelta after an incredibly impressive Giro d’Italia, where he won 4 stages and the points classification. Alongside Jasper Philipsen, he is the favourite for green in Spain.

The early break of Sean Quinn, Patrick Gamper, Alessandro Verre and Luca van Boven didn’t overly concern the peloton, with Lidl-Trek riding tempo to keep the gap under control. Horner noted how disciplined the American squad was: “They got on the front too much. They left Ciccone isolated the day before, and here again they risked repeating the mistake by making it too hard and fast.”

Verre’s KOM efforts and Quinn’s long solo spell kept the race lively, but Horner’s attention was fixed on how Lidl-Trek and Visma handled the final climb of the day up to the finish.

“This is exactly what you want to do if you’re Visma–Lease a Bike. The final climb really starts at 2.4 kilometres to go. You want to drive it 100% because you have the best climber in the world in Jonas Vingegaard,” he said. Yet Horner stressed that Lidl-Trek had the opposite responsibility: “If you’re Lidl-Trek, you don’t want to drive it that hard. You just want to keep Pedersen in position and fresh, because Mads is the fastest sprinter.”

Instead, the American analyst was left baffled by a series of tactical errors. He tore into Ben Turner of INEOS, who launched too early in support of their fastest finisher, Filippo Ganna. “Ben Turner… he doesn’t know how to do a proper lead-out. He’s panicking, looking left, right and center. This is a bad plan,” Horner said bluntly. Turner’s surge stretched the group and made the finale harder than it needed to be, playing straight into Vingegaard’s hands.

As the leaders reached the final kilometre, Horner identified another misstep from Lidl-Trek in support of Pedersen. “Ciccone can back off and do a wise move. He can slot behind Visma and save his legs. Instead, he throws everything into it and drags Pedersen too deep into the red,” he explained. By overextending on the front, Ciccone inadvertently reduced Pedersen’s finishing kick, giving rivals the opening they needed to stand a chance.

The decisive moment came inside the last 65 metres, when Gaudu stormed the inside of the final corner. Horner was emphatic in his praise: “At 65 meters to go… David Gaudu comes past Jonas Vingegaard and Mads Pedersen on the inside. He gets the gap, and he wins.”

When Vingegaard complained afterwards that Gaudu had chopped him, Horner dismissed it: “What did you expect? You always protect the inside of the corner or you’re going to get beat every time, especially if you back off when Gaudu is not backing off.”

For Horner, the story of stage 3 wasn’t just Gaudu’s brilliance, but also Lidl-Trek’s repeated miscalculations in the build up to the sprint. “You guys made the exact same tactical mistake as stage two where you got on the front too soon and blew up too early and left the sprinter isolated,” he said, arguing that Pedersen was forced to launch earlier than he wanted. “This time, Mads jumped too far out. Jonas and Gaudu followed perfectly, and Gaudu took the win.”

The former Vuelta champion closed his recap by saluting Groupama - FDJ’s execution. “Congratulations, David Gaudu. FDJ did a fantastic job. He jumped at the perfect time,” Horner said. He also credited Stefan Küng for protecting his teammate deep into the finale: “Stefan looked after Gaudu magnificently throughout today’s stage.”

Stage 3 underlined how small decisions can swing Grand Tour racing. Pedersen had the legs, Vingegaard had the climbing strength, but Gaudu had the instinct and positioning when it mattered most. As Horner summed up, “This was a stage for Pedersen, but Lidl-Trek raced it wrong. And when you race it wrong, a rider like Gaudu is going to take it.”