"We will try to seal it tomorrow" - Mads Pedersen confirms ambitious plans for Tour queen stage
CyclingSaturday, 25 July 2026 at 01:00
Mads Pedersen's quest of winning points classification does not get any easier in the final week of the 2026 Tour de France, however the Dane is doing everything in his ability to complete his mission.
During stage 19, Pedersen once again jumped up the road alongside his teammates in search of points on an intermediate sprint in Le Périer, where he successfully claimed full 25 points. And since his main rival Jasper Philipsen did not add any points, the Dane now holds a 57-point lead.
At the start of the race, Lidl-Trek entered the breakaway with four riders. Next to Pedersen, they have also dispatched Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek as leadout and Derek Gee-West to control attacks. The plan worked out smoothly and Pedersen later paid his teammates' efforts with a short leadout to the foot of Alpe d'Huez.
"I'm proud of myself and proud of the whole team. We made a plan a bit optimistic, but in the end it worked out and we managed to get another 25 points. We gained back the big loss we had a few days ago and it's really nice," he said after the stage.
Read also
With two stages to go, up to 120 points might be up for grabs for sprinters. Tomorrow's intermediate sprint after special category climb Col de la Croix de Fer will be Pedersen's goal, but it won't be easy to make the front group. Even for a rider of his climbing abilities.
"It would have been nice not to make the big mistake the other day, but we will try again tomorrow and maybe seal it there. If not, it’s gonna be a good fight in Paris, but it’s way more comfortable than it was some days ago."
Mads Pedersen leads points classification
Ideally, Pedersen would love to evade having to sprint for each point to Champs-Élysées against considerably faster Jasper Philipsen. The Dane has not had great success in mass sprints throughout this Tour and would prefer to enjoy the final stage without such worries.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You didn't deserve it Lenny, you just let kuss and carapaz do all the job but you want to reap their hard work rewardZamorano25-07-2026
- If he could have stayed with Pogačar he could have come around Carapaz. And if he had contributed earlier in the climb it’s possible the trio would have made it to the finish without being caught. As it is, a solid second on a brutal day.RidesHills25-07-2026
- Excuse me but I think Pogy is not the most popular person in Slovenia but is Jan Plestenjak and Janez Janša,Pogy is only in third position, yes firmly but stil third...
Merxisnotthegoat25-07-2026 - This stage was special and I think will be a classic. Just watching Pogacar catch each rider, and then seeing each rider drop their head in despair as Pogacar steamrolled past them. All the riders at the TDF are strong, so it was an incredible sight to behold.Pogboom25-07-2026
- I watched the stage last night and it was scary how close the crowd got. So many of them were selfishly waving flags at the cameras and only jumping out of the way at the last split second. So stupid and reckless! It was a wonder none of the flags caught a handlebar... Pogacar probably had it worst as he was chasing on his own (so the crowd could get much closer than if you were riding in a bunch) and at one point he was furiously waving at the crowd to make way. They need to extend the barriers much further down the mountain than just the last ~4km.Pogboom25-07-2026
- He is inevitable
liborio25-07-2026 - One thing we do know is that your clown comments are never ending!frieders325-07-2026
- Smaller doses of CO may not kill you, but cause severe brain damage affecting the basal ganglia in the brain.Jakob25-07-2026
- Yeah, Pogi was so weakened today, lol
ScottG24-07-2026 - It has been an incredible ride so far, and I'm impressed. I regularly compare him to Pogačar on his debut grand tour, which was the Vuelta with a lower quality set of GC contenders. Still, he won 3 stages and his last win was an incredible effort which got him on the podium. I keep hoping that Seixas will do something similar, but Roglič was content to do what was needed for the GC and not win every stage he could, while Seixas is up against a man who can't help but dominate and seek every win. Still, I'm hoping for his debut Tour win. I'm sure there it will come eventually!RidesHills24-07-2026
Loading
Write a comment