“We’re both Danish and we talked... He needs the seconds" - Mads Pedersen helps out Jonas Vingegaard with pre-planned intermediate sprint move at La Vuelta

On stage 19 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana on Friday, it's fair to say that not much was expected in terms of general classification differences. Whilst main rivals UAE and Joao Almeida slept at the intermediate sprint however, Red Jersey Jonas Vingegaard was alive to the opportunity, snatching 4 bonus seconds and increasing his GC advantage. As it turns out, his compatriot Mads Pedersen also played a helping hand.

“I knew it would happen! We’re both Danish and we talked together," the Green Jersey told reporters in his post-stage interview afterwards, having been made to settle for 2nd at the line as Jasper Philipsen won the bunch sprint finale in Guijuelo.

Whilst Pedersen was present at the intermediate sprint, he did not attempt to come around Vingegaard at the line. It is in that way that the Danish compatriots teamed up to boost Vingegaard's Red Jersey advantage ahead of the final weekend. "You know it’s bonification seconds for him at that sprint as well, and he needs the seconds more than I need the points right now," Pedersen explains. "As a fellow Dane, it didn’t make a lot of sense to push him there…”

Vingegaard himself seemed to stress the move was more opportunistic when speaking to the media himself post-stage: “We just saw that we were in the front and we said: ‘Why not try?’ If we could get four seconds, then it was worth it," the race leader reflected in his comments. "It’s not a lot but I’m still in the lead and I’m happy with it.”

As mentioned though, Pedersen wasn't ultimately able to benefit from saving a little at the intermediate by winning the final sprint. Although he pushed Philipsen all the way, 2nd was the best the Dane could manage.

“I think it was pretty clear it would be a hard sprint with such an uphill kick, so yes, I expected it to be like this,” Pedersen admitted. “It’s a pity not to win, but Jasper and his team were incredibly strong, they did a perfect lead-out and sprint. Today we were beaten by the better team.”