Mads Pedersen is out of the Vuelta a España, but that doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of the Lidl-Trek rider. The Danish powerhouse had hoped to use the Vuelta to build up his form for the World Championships in Canada, but Lidl-Trek insisted he pull out due to an infection.
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For a week and a half, Pedersen insisted that he still expected to be in good form, but just before the start of Stage 11, his name was ultimately crossed off the start list. “After battling illness over the past few days, Mads will now focus on a full recovery before turning his attention to his remaining goals for this season,” Lidl-Trek wrote.
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Pedersen didn't want to abandon the Vuelta a España
It turned out to be the team that pushed Pedersen to give up. According to his co-leader Mattias Skjelmose, the team leader himself still wanted to keep going. “It wasn’t pleasant for me to see Mads suffering like that. If the team hadn’t told him to go home, he wouldn’t have gone home,” Skjelmose told TV2.
"Mads would never give up on his own—that's not his style. But he's performing so far below his usual level that it's not enjoyable for him to be here either," added the general classification contender, who is still very much in contention for a podium finish at the Vuelta during the second and third weeks. Pedersen will now focus on the World Championships. “Although it’s tough, I think he can do well there.”
Skjelmose believes Pedersen will win a medal at the World Championships
According to Skjelmose, Pedersen is very confident he’ll perform well at the World Championships. "We'll have to see if Tadej Pogačar competes, but Mads believes he can contend for a medal. And I know that's also the reason he's pulling out of the Vuelta now."
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
Unfortunately, Mads Pedersen will not take the start of today’s stage 11 of La Vuelta.
After battling illness over the past few days, Mads will now focus on making a full recovery before turning his attention to his remaining targets this season.
Get well soon, Mads 💙