Uproar in Denmark as Jonas Vingegaard misses out on prestigious award: “Is this a popularity contest or a results-based contest?”

Jonas Vingegaard delivered a season that would usually end any debate. Overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana, a second place at the Tour de France, and another year spent competing at the very highest level of stage racing.

Yet Denmark’s Cyclist of the Year award went elsewhere.

The decision to honour Mads Pedersen instead has ignited a sharp national debate, not about Pedersen’s credentials, but about what the award is actually designed to reward. Results at the pinnacle of the sport, or a broader definition shaped by visibility, racing style and connection with voters.

That uncertainty sits at the heart of the reaction aired on TV2 Sport, where analysts quickly moved beyond the headline result and towards the mechanics behind it.

Christian Moberg framed the controversy in stark terms. “We end up discussing whether this is a popularity contest or a results-based contest,” Moberg said. “People probably vote for the rider they like the most.”

Moberg described Pedersen as Denmark’s most popular cyclist and suggested that popularity inevitably plays a role when the award is decided by licence holders rather than a closed jury. In that context, the outcome begins to look less surprising, even if it remains contentious.

But for Moberg, that explanation does not make the decision correct. “In my world, there is absolutely no doubt at all,” he said when asked who should have won the award.

Moberg acknowledged the scale of Pedersen’s season but argued that Vingegaard’s achievements occupy a different tier within professional cycling. “I can absolutely see that Mads Pedersen’s season has been insane and crazy, but Jonas Vingegaard’s has been too. Winning a Grand Tour beats everything else apart from winning the World Championships, the Giro and the Tour.”

That hierarchy was also central to the view expressed by Emil Axelgaard, who accepted that the vote could be defended without agreeing with it. “I think the choice can be defended, even though I believe Jonas Vingegaard would have been the right choice,” Axelgaard said.

For Axelgaard, the significance of Vingegaard’s season lay not only in the Vuelta victory itself, but in the combination of results on cycling’s biggest stages. “The Tour is so much bigger than any other race that a second place there carries huge weight. At the same time, he makes history by becoming the first Dane to win the Vuelta. Those two results weigh more for me than Mads Pedersen’s.”

Others believe the award reflects a different but equally valid reading of excellence. Emil Vinjebo pointed to Pedersen’s presence across the entire calendar as a decisive factor. “Mads Pedersen has performed all year long,” Vinjebo said. “It is also about the way he races, the way he won Gent Wevelgem with that solo attack.”

According to Vinjebo, Pedersen’s influence extended beyond results alone. “He has put the Classics firmly back on the radar,” he added.

Vinjebo also stressed that the electorate follows far more than just Grand Tours. “Those who vote for Cyclist of the Year are not only the people who watch the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. They very much follow the Classics and the races where Mads Pedersen shines.”

For some observers, overlooking a Grand Tour winner feels extreme. Vinjebo accepts that reaction, but insists the vote cannot be reduced to a simple comparison of victories. “It cannot be measured only in wins,” he said. “It is also about the impressions the riders have left over the course of the season.”

The dispute surrounding this year’s award has exposed a deeper ambiguity. Jonas Vingegaard delivered two towering results on the sport’s biggest stages. Pedersen defined the season through consistency, aggression and constant visibility.

Both interpretations are defensible. What remains unresolved is which one Denmark’s most prestigious individual cycling prize is supposed to honour.