The organizers of the Tour de France were well inspired to offer Denmark the kickoff of the 2022 edition of the biggest race in the world. Admittedly, the Danes in the peloton did not manage to win on their home soil, Belgians and Dutch being too strong, but the Scandinavians have been catching up very nicely since the start of the second week. After Magnus Cort Nielsen and Jonas Vingegaard – overall leader moreover – Mads Pedersen went for the stage victory in Saint-Etienne. “It must be sexy to be Danish at the moment, the yellow jersey is fed up at the microphone of France TV. Pedersen deserves this win, it’s great for him, it’s just amazing for Danish cycling. “.
Pedersen, the last road world champion before Julian Alaphilippe confiscated the rainbow jersey, hails the work being done nationally, which he says is responsible for all the good that happens to Danish cycling. “All the mass cycling work of the local teams is starting to pay off. The investment pays off, and that’s a good thing. »
Mads “Legs of Fire” Pedersen
Between Bourg-d’Oisans and Sainté, the Dane worked a lot. Perhaps not as much as his teammate Quinn Simmons, whose decisive efforts in the last climb listed in 3rd category allowed the breakaways to widen the gap on a hitherto oppressive peloton. The rest was a matter of freshness and talent. With an attack about fifteen kilometers from the finish, Pedersen gets rid of his two biggest rivals, Ganna and Kung.
A bit disappointed, the FDJ rider is full of praise in the mixed zone. “Mads had the legs of fire, I tried to follow him but I couldn’t. He was really super strong. The same goes for Canadian Hugo Houle, who had the privilege of playing for the win until the sprinter started 250 meters from the line. “There is no picture, Mads was very solid. In the final, against Pedersen, it’s very complicated. We couldn’t really do better. The Danes make the law.