Mads Pedersen doesn't hold back in Vuelta preview: "If you don’t like the course, you should race somewhere else"

In Denmark, and the rest of Scandinavia, there’s something called the Law of Jante: a social code made up of ten rules, essentially echoing the mindset of “just act normal, that’s crazy enough” or “don’t stick your head above the crowd.” You can hear echoes of this in Pedersen’s always sincere and outspoken words, though there’s little sign of it when he’s actually on the bike.

Just last week, he did stick his head above that figurative crop again during his home race, pulling off an incredible 67-kilometer solo ride on stage four. “You saw it, I’m in good shape. The wattage was where it needed to be; otherwise, you don’t win like that. All in all, it was a good test for the Vuelta: I know the form is there, and I’m ready.”

Before the Giro, Pedersen joked that he had watched Sex and the City with his wife to switch off before the race, and a Danish journalist brought that up again now. Pedersen, already imagining the headlines, rested his hand under his chin with disinterest. “I didn’t need to switch off.” So what did he do then? “Trained. And came to Italy.”

And between Denmark and the Vuelta, the same journalist asked on his third attempt? “Mate, I arrived the day before Denmark, just like all the other riders. And after the race, I had two days at home with my wife before coming here. And you just do what anyone else would do if you had two days together. It’s as simple as that.”

On stage one, the Dane could theoretically grab the red jersey straight away, since a sprinters’ stage to Novara is on the program. Sporting director Steven de Jongh told IDLProCycling.com he sees about five to six chances in total for the Dane over the three weeks. But with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the start, there’s a formidable rival to deal with. “It’s no secret that with him in the mix it’s going to be harder, as he showed in the Tour when he took the yellow jersey.”

“Nothing is impossible, though. I’ve managed to beat him once in a flat sprint, even if it was only once. One out of many, but still, it gives me enough belief in myself and in the team. We want to start the race well,” said Pedersen, who also outlined his intended lead-out when asked. “Søren Kragh Andersen is usually my last man, with Daan Hoole before him. But in stages with more climbing, it will depend more on the day.”

“Mads is putting in a very strong season, as he has done consistently over the past few years. We are surprised that he seems to be able to step it up a notch in every race,” said De Jongh, who sees Pedersen’s first real chance on day 3. “That's really a finish for him,” said the Dutchman, referring to the finish in Ceres, after a series of climbs and the last 2.5 kilometers at an average gradient of 3.2 percent. “And on day 8, we're going to sprint, but there's also a chance of wind.”

In the upcoming Vuelta, Pedersen sees several stages that could potentially fit him like a glove. Stages three and four involve quite a bit of climbing, but not tough enough to be reserved for the pure climbers. “I’ve trained the way I always do and climbed just as much as usual. I haven’t specifically focused on climbing or anything like that, just on reaching peak form. My coach is the smart guy, he tells me what to do. If you want to know more about that, you’d better interview him.”

That peak form should bring Pedersen and Lidl-Trek success. “In this team, we can align my ambitions with Ciccone’s really well. We showed that in the Giro, and we believe in it again now. If we didn’t, one of us would have stayed home. Cicco and I really believe we can help each other and make the difference for one another. That combination, and the mutual respect that comes with it, is perfect for us. We’re riding with almost the same squad, so we can set the bar high.”

For Pedersen, that means going for the points jersey. Interestingly, there are only two stages, 1 and 21, where the maximum of 50 points can be earned. Isn’t that a bit few? “Uh… no, because that’s the course. If you don’t like it, you should go race somewhere else at this time of year. Simple. This course has been known since January, so we’ve had plenty of time to study it. It is what it is, and the riders who are here know why they are here. The same goes for me. I’m not going to stand here claiming there should be more sprint stages or whatever, because I’m here for a reason, with this parcours.”