"We had put all our eggs in one basket with Skjelmose" - Mads Pedersen battles to top-15 but disappointment for Danish in Zurich

Mads Pedersen and the rest of the Danish team were very vocal about the fact that the former world champion was only a domestique at the 2024 World Championships, but after the early abandon of Mattias Skjelmose, Pedersen was thrust into a leadership role on a course that didn't necessarily suit his characteristics.

"We do our best to make a result. We had put all our eggs in one basket with Skjelmose, and when he leaves, it is difficult to make a new plan on the bike," admits the 2019 world champion, who eventually finished 13th, 3:52 down on the Rainbow Jersey winner, Tadej Pogacar, in post-race quotes collected by Ekstra Bladet. "It turned out that every man had to take their chance, see the possibilities and do their best."

As mentioned, the parcours of the 2024 World Championships in Zurich didn't fully suit Pedersen. "All day I have been fighting to get back. I knew it would be such a race. We have also seen that in all the other races that have been run here," he analyses honestly. "It pays off not to ride over your limit and constantly fight to get back. With Mattias out, I could afford to do it."

Despite battling and fighting his way up to a top 15 placing, Pedersen never truly believed in his chances of getting into podium contention. "There was never a time when I thought it would be possible," he admits. "The only thing I believed was that maybe there were only 9 men out front. There were 12. But being number 10 or 13... it really doesn't matter."

Pedersen's season isn't completely over just yet either. The Lidl-Trek star still has Paris-Tours and the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race on his programme for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.