The spotlight fell on him because of his stellar performances in the spring Classics, when he rode against Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in six races, won one (Gent-Wevelgem) and finished on the podium in three (the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the E3 Saxo Classic). He has now won two of the first four stages of the Giro d’Italia, which brings the number of his Grand Tour stage wins to eight, and leads in both the GC and the points classification.
One of the world’s best riders
According to the respected Dutch publication cyclinguptodate.com, Pedersen’s performances this year have pushed him into the ‘BigSix’ of world cycling, riders “who win the big 3-week races and the great classics.” According to the publication, that elite group includes Pogačar, van der Poel, two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, and 2025 Giro favourite Primož Roglič – but no longer van Aert, who has been replaced in that elite group by Pedersen. As cyclinguptodate.com concluded, “Mads Pedersen is, as of today, a better cyclist than Wout van Aert.”
This is a matter of opinion, of course, as the Belgian has been struggling to recover his form after a year in which he crashed in spring and in the Vuelta, sustaining serious injuries in both incidents. What’s not contentious is that Pedersen has become a superstar, though without the fanfare usually associated with that status. But, as cyclinguptodate’s article illustrates, the Dane is no longer just another team leader in the bunch. As Rouleur put it: “Take Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel out of the frame… and Pedersen is the best cyclist in the world at the moment.”
One big reason Pedersen remained out of the spotlight for years, despite his successes in Grand Tour stages and world championships, was, I believe, his down-to-earth personality. He’s not flashy, so he didn’t attract TV cameras, and he doesn’t explode on the road. Rather, he digs, battles, persists, rarely tires and is usually there at the finish, whether it’s a flat course or one like Sunday’s stage 3 of the Giro, with a significant climb in it, the category 2 ascent to the Qafa e Llogarasë, or Llogorase Pass (10.5 km @ 7.5%).
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A sprinter with climbing chops
What sets Pedersen apart from other sprinters is his climbing ability. On the Llogarasë climb, which was too steep and long for van Aert and Alpecin-Deceunick’s Kaden Groves, Pedersen never looked like struggling. And when he took off in the final 100 meters after another excellent lead-out by the young Czech Mathias Vacek, he easily held off the very good Corbin Strong to retake the race leader’s maglia rosa (pink jersey) from Roglič (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe).
Uncharacteristically, Pedersen had doubts about his ability to stay the course on the climb. “I was in doubt… I thought I would be on the limit.” The fact is that with all the racing he has done this year – before the Classics, he won the green jersey and a stage in Paris-Nice and the GC and green jersey in the Tour de la Provence – he doesn’t seem to have reached his limits yet. He has found both the best form of his life and apparently endless resources to maintain that form.
“You guys [in the media] say this every time a rider performs well in a long period that they’re in the shape of their life,” he said. “I’m in really good shape, and we managed to carry it on from the Classics to now, so I can’t complain. What I want to say also is that we have to take into account that these stages fit me really well – they’re suited for me and are easier to show what I’m good at. If we had started with one flat sprint and I finished fifth, maybe we wouldn’t have talked about my shape, and it would have looked completely different, but these three days in Albania have suited me really well.”
Also, a good guy
Yes, he’s modest as well, and it’s an authentic modesty; he may actually not know how good a rider he is. What’s also authentic is the respect and dedication he receives from his teammates, who go all in for him, as they have so far in the Giro, because they know he goes all in for them, and he always acknowledges their contributions to his success. First on Sunday, he praised the team’s GC hope Giulio Ciccone, saying: “Ciccone has ambitions somewhere else in the race, but he was there to help me [on the climb]. That shows his character. He committed to the team and to helping me. I can’t wait to get to the mountains and give something back to Cicco.”
Then he noted Vacek’s stellar lead-out work: “Vacek is absolutely amazing; this kid has a big future. He showed it again today [Sunday] what he’s able to do, and we have to watch out that we don’t put a lock on this guy. He can win a lot of bike races, I tell you, and I will do everything I can to make it possible for him to win a stage. He was there for me throughout all of the Classics, and he is a machine. I’m so proud that this guy is able to ride for me.”
It’s no wonder his teammates support him wholeheartedly and that he is now attracting the kind of attention he deserves. In a world of overhype and glitz, Pedersen is a refreshingly straightforward superstar – and an easy one to root for.
However, he ran into some bad luck on Tuesday’s stage 4 when he was held up by a crash in front of him, which brought down one of his lead-out riders, Søren Kragh Andersen, with about 22 km left to race. He then had to catch up with the peloton and slowly work his way to the front to be in position for the sprint, all of which cost energy. As a result, Pedersen finished fourth in the sprint, which was won by Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL). But he retained the lead in the GC, 7 seconds ahead of Roglič, with Vacek still in third, at 14 seconds. And he still leads in the points classification, 83 points to 52 for Olav Kooij (Visma– Lease a Bike), who finished second on Tuesday.
