Lidl-Trek rightfully calls it a "dream week" heading into the Vuelta a España, while Visma | Lease a Bike is left behind

“A dream week in Denmark,” Lidl-Trek rightly concluded in a press release, after Pedersen won the final stage with a punchy finish, ahead of Visma leader Axel Zingle (second) and teammate Söderqvist (third). Matyáš Kopecký of Team Novo Nordisk was the only other rider able to keep up with the trio in the final stage. Lidl-Trek underlined its dominance with Søren Kragh Andersen and Mattias Skjelmose also finishing fifth and sixth.

With that result, Pedersen finished as the overall winner in his own country, winning three out of five stages during the race. Söderqvist took second place in the GC, 1 minute and 28 seconds behind his team leader. The surprising Niklas Larsen of BHS-PL Beton Bornholm joined them on the final podium as third overall for the week. “A perfect week, following a brave attack by Jakob with Mads and Søren in the finale. The trio broke away on the final circuit in Silkeborg, which turned out to be the decisive move.”

Söderqvist won the individual time trial on day 3, bringing Lidl-Trek’s tally to four out of five stage victories. In addition to winning the general and points classifications with Pedersen, the team also claimed the young rider classification with Söderqvist. Last year, the team was similarly dominant in August, when it won all five stages of the Tour of Germany with Pedersen and Jonathan Milan. So bring on the Vuelta a España, where Pedersen will aim for stage wins and Giulio Ciccone will target the general classification.

That Saturday’s stage ended in such dominant fashion, Pedersen credited, or rather blamed, on a teammate. “I blame Skjelmose for this one,” he said. “He went so hard on the climb and caused the split. After that, we had to keep going, because it was the perfect situation for us. This was pure racing, really beautiful. It was a tough week, but finishing with this result makes it really special. And it’s great to see Jakob on the podium, he belongs at this level.”

The Swede himself said: “This is a dream. I don’t think expectations could’ve been any higher, and we just gave it our all in every stage. We never had a fixed plan, we were just always ready to improvise, and it couldn’t have gone better. The final half hour of the last stage was like dream racing, I really enjoyed it. I’ll carry this feeling with me into the coming days and try to enjoy it. I’m on the right path and just trying to enjoy the journey without too much stress.”

For Visma | Lease a Bike, the Danish race week ended with some solid results, but no victories. The Dutch team came into the race with high ambitions, but after Axel Zingle’s third-place finish on day 2, he could only manage second behind Mads Pedersen on the final day. The 26-year-old Frenchman ultimately finished 18th in the general classification. “We knew we had a good opportunity with Axel today,” analyzed sports director Maarten Wynants in a team press release.

Despite Lidl-Trek’s dominance, Visma | Lease a Bike still tried to shake things up. “Together with other teams, we controlled the stage well and made sure Axel stayed close to Pedersen. In the finale, Axel did what he could, but the strongest rider won. Still, the performances from the past few days give us confidence heading into the upcoming races.” Zingle is set to start the Vuelta a España on August 23.