Mads Pedersen was the favourite for stage 5 of the Vuelta a España, but finished 10 minutes behind: 'It didn’t work out there'

What’s going on with Mads Pedersen in the Vuelta a España? The Dane from Lidl-Trek was considered one of the top favorites for the fifth stage, but ultimately crossed the finish line in the very last group. Team manager Kim Andersen and team leader Mattias Skjelmose were unable to provide a clear explanation to TV2 after the race.

Pedersen had already kept his cards close to his chest ahead of the stage, saying that Skjelmose would be going all in. Along the way, there was a chance of echelons forming, and we saw Pedersen up front, but he still seemed mentally ready for a sprint at the end.

On the final climb of the day, however, he had to let the peloton go, ultimately finishing more than 10 minutes behind winner Matthew Brennan. “We hadn’t discussed the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to keep up. All we see is that he did a good job getting Skjelmose up that climb and that they wanted to try their luck in the wind, but it didn’t work out there. It’s possible that he sensed it himself. We don’t know,” said team manager Kim Andersen.

Rumors that Pedersen wasn't in top form weren't confirmed by team leader Skjelmose either. “We wanted to see some echelons form, but we realized pretty quickly that nothing was happening. Mads tried a few times, but we couldn't get it going.”

"It was a tough day. A lot of stress for nothing, but it was okay. We got through it well," Skjelmose sums up. “I’d rather give it my all even if it doesn’t work out than save my energy in case it does. Otherwise, you end up in the last group,” he says, explaining Lidl-Trek’s decision to take matters into their own hands.