"Like getting dropped by Mathieu and Tadej": 'Pink' Pedersen completes Giro hattrick but had to work hard for it

He was the top favorite going into the race, but the final was really tough. The sprint was very exciting, and Pedersen was not sure of victory. "No, not at all. The last 20 kilometers were challenging," he breathlessly explained in the flash interview. "I suffered enormously on that last climb. It was really tough, and I wasn't sure of anything." With two kilometers to go, Pedersen's chances of victory looked to be slipping away when he fell far behind, unable to keep up with the pace set by his teammate Mathias Vacek.

But the Danish powerhouse didn't panic. "When I was a little behind at the top, I knew I was still in the group that would fight for the victory. But I was struggling and used much energy to return to Vacek's wheel. I had to dig deep to fight back and then battle for the win. Fortunately, I had just enough left for the final sprint, but it was tough." In the end, the surprise contender Edoarde Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) finished second by a narrow margin.

Victory number three for Pedersen, but this one really has a golden (or pink?) edge. "It's really unbelievable, and to win in this jersey, it's crazy. It's much more than I ever could have dreamed of. What a Giro this is, and what an amazing team." Thursday's finish will be in Naples, where Pedersen won in 2023. "As I say every day, we try to win as much as possible, and we'll give it our all again tomorrow," he concludes.

Afterward, at the press conference, Pedersen told more about his difficult moment. Roglic accelerated, and that was when his shoulders started to shake. "When Primoz went, I told Vacek to go with him. Because if they got away, he would have had a good chance of winning the stage. I was really suffering at that point, but that kid rode incredibly smart," he said enthusiastically about the white jersey wearer. "When the road got flatter, he slowed down the whole group, which allowed me to make up ground in the corners. Then he also did an incredibly good and long lead-out. He and the team car made it possible."

Roglic's move was a bit strange because he pulled himself aside after a short, mild acceleration. Was it a real breakaway or a test to see if Pedersen could keep up? Only he knows, but the Danish winner doesn't hold it against him. "Primoz is a racer. He wants to win races, and the final suited him perfectly. When 15 GC contenders break away, he's usually the fastest. I understand that he wants to try and win stages. I would have tried the same thing if I were in his shoes."

Pedersen did not celebrate at the finish line. That was because he didn't know if he had won, but also because he was completely exhausted. "It was really all or nothing. It was almost like getting dropped by Mathieu and Tadej on the Oude Kwaremont,” he laughs. "Today, I had nothing left, not even to raise my arms. Man, I had to dig deep to pull this off."

Domestique Daan Hoole watched from a distance as Pedersen did the seemingly impossible, thanks to the powerful Vacek. "Yes, bizarre. He is so strong, and the team is so good. Vacek is doing a bizarre lead-out; it's super impressive, he said afterward. For a moment, it looked like the pink jersey wearer wouldn't make it due to the pace set by the Czech rider. 'I heard on the radio that they were saying from the car: take it easy, take it easy. He's so strong, but it's great that he's keeping Mads with him and can finish it off in the sprint."

The Danish rider riding for the American team also won the intermediate sprints. "All in all, a fantastic day," laughs his Dutch domestique. "Winning both sprints and the stage victory, it's superb." Hoole doesn't want to say too much about Thursday's flat stage yet. "That will come later. I have to say that I suffered a lot today. It was a really tough finish. Now it's time to enjoy today and then focus on tomorrow."