Mads Pedersen doesn't mince his words. Call a spade a spade and call a spade a wine.. When we share this feeling with Paolo Barbieri, press officer of the Trek-Segafredo, he nods knowingly. From the Dane who shot Trentin in 2019 at the World Championships in Harrogate don't expect any flourishes or conventional phrases.
At the Giro with Stuyven
The team still remembers one morning when Pedersen and Nibali had to leave the hotel at 6am for a photo shoot. It seems that Vincenzo showed up late while the other was waiting in the carMads was furious, without any sense of awe, at the delay and because, in his opinion, the Italian failed to grasp the gravity of the situation. "I'm hard on others," he commented, "because I'm hard on myself." From then on, the two took their respective measures and everything went smoothly.
His 2022 is about ten victories, the most precious the stage of the Tour and the three of the Vuelta (with 4 second places). And when we were all convinced that he would have made a single bite of the world championship, Pedersen changed direction and didn't go to AustraliaThe feeling is that he doesn't have a great feeling with long-haul flights, given that he has not raced outside Europe since 2018, but evidently the team is fine with it and its program will be entirely European also in 2023The only exception is the end-of-year trip to Wisconsin, where the riders visit Trek headquarters. Among the new features for next season, Pedersen and Stuyven will be coming to the Giro d'Italia.
Let's start with the day you ruined the World Cup. What do you remember?
That I won the race (he spreads his arms, ed.). Before the start I would never have said that I would be able to win. I was hoping for a good result, but certainly not like that. Sometimes everything just falls into place, and that was exactly what happened that day.
What do you know about the Giro?
Actually, not much, I know I will. At the right time we will sit down at a table and study the path. But first I will be focused on the classics, which remain the main objective. Nothing in particular, they're all good. My goal is to get there in good shape. I think I made a good growth step between 2021 and 2022 and I would like to maintain the same level next year too.
Looking to improve on some specific area?
Certainly not on climbs, because that wouldn't be of much use to me. I need to be ready for the classics and do my best for the rest of the seasonI am aware that sprinting is my strong point.
After three stages at the Vuelta, we were all sure that Mads Pedersen would be the man to beat at the World Championships in Wollongong.
Ma To win a race you have to go there first and I decided not to do that.It was a very easy decision to make. Flying there would have been too much, Up until that point I had had a good season and I didn't have a good feeling about goingIt was about trusting my instincts and believing in them.
Where will your 2023 begin?
From France like this year, February 1st, with the Etoile de Besseges. The fact of not going in Australia o Argentina It was 100 percent my choice, because I don't like taking long trips.
Classics, then?
From Sanremo to Roubaix, exactly.
What do you know about Sanremo?
I only did it once, this year (he placed 6th, ed.). It's a boring race, to be honest, that I don't like., but it is a Monument and this makes it important. It's five hours of doing nothing and then it goes crazy for an hour and a halfIt's not the most beautiful one we have on the calendar, but I have to try to win it given its status. That said, I don't know how it can be done, I'll have to do some reconnaissance to understand it well. It depends on how it is run, but If I have confidence in my sprint that day, I'll have to waitI'm a little less confident, however, in the possibility of holding the race all day. It would take a team of strong riders, all committed to the same cause, but I don't think we'll run like that.
What about Roubaix?
I always thought I could win it, ever since I first inspected it a few days before (during the opening training session last April, ed.). I've done it several times, I am able to find the right tire pressure, keep the right position in the group, eat and drink when necessary. Yet in the last two years I haven't even finished it, due to falls or various misfortunes.
First the Giro and then the Tour?
The the Tour, yes, because It's the best preparation for the World CupThe race will take place in Grasgow two weeks later and the Tour will give the legs the right speed. Obviously also thinking about winning stagesI always run to win.
Do you find more fun in running or in working out?
Fifty-fifty. It depends on the race and the training days. It's a mix; I like both. I definitely prefer training alone, 100 percent. I like to do my own thing and my own specific jobs. This is why I don't like training camps. You have to worry about a lot of other riders, you're not going as fast as you need to, and things like that. But the withdrawal is useful for other reasons. It's a kind of team building and allows you to sort out a lot of practical things. And then I enjoy being with my teammates, it's not about that. But if we're talking about training, then I prefer to be alone.
Between the Classics and the Giro, do you plan to go to high altitude?
I don't go to high altitudes. Ever. I don't like sitting on top of a mountain to look at the rocks.
Is loud bus music better before a big race?
Definitely. I like silence even less in those situations.You lose morale if you think your captain is not confident. On the team bus before an important race there is loud music, we dance and shout the most disparate things at each otherAnd if a rider who doesn't belong to the classic group comes along and asks to turn down the music, I look at him and think to myself: sit down and read your book, maybe I'll see you at the second refueling. If you get there…
