Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has revealed he is weighing up his continued participation in the Vuelta a España amid a lack of form that is causing concerns ahead of the World Championships.
The Danish rider won the Worlds in 2019 but is so far off his usual sparkling best at this Vuelta that he questioned whether he’s even good enough at this moment in time to take one of his country’s eight spots for the road race in Montréal on September 27.
Pedersen made the comments to Eurosport following stage 10 of the Vuelta a España, a hilly day with a reduced bunch finish where Pedersen might have been considered a contender but crossed the line fifth from last having been dropped early on the crucial late climb.
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"I don’t really know what to say. The level is not there right now – not the shape, the shape good is good enough, but something is clearly not as it should be," said Pedersen.
Pedersen had been struggling with illness earlier in the race but indicated that didn’t tell the whole story, and suggested talks will imminently take place on what to do next.
"Now is the time to really look at it, instead of in a few days maybe. Now we go back and we will see what the best plan will be for the next part of the race," he said.
"It’s more than one guy who has to take this decision. In the end we will see. Of course I would like to keep going in the race but also it has to make sense at one point."
Pedersen made repeated references to the World Championships, which take place in Montréal in just over three weeks’ time. Pedersen has played down his chances of a second world title, but the possible absence of Tadej Pogačar could yet open up the race, with sprinters who can survive hilly courses not entirely counted out.
While seeming to open the door to the idea of an early exit from the Vuelta, Pedersen went on to indicate that his preference would be to continue all the way to the final stage in Granada a week on Sunday.
"There’s still a long way to Granada and I still believe this is good preparation for the World Championships, even if right now it looks as if we have some stronger contenders to take my spot," he said on a day when Magnus Cort – who has voiced his frustration at missing out on Denmark's squad – finished second.
"But I believe staying here and keeping riding will be the best thing to do for the World Championships," Pedersen added.
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