'I’m not done with the Tour’ - Pedersen reflects as he hunts new success at the Vuelta

For a rider of his stature, skipping July could have been seen as a step down. Pedersen has turned it into something else entirely, an alternative season that underlined his status as one of the most versatile and resilient riders in the peloton.

His 2025 palmarès is already striking. He won Gent-Wevelgem with authority, stood on the podium at both Flanders and Roubaix, and lit up the Giro d’Italia with four stage wins, five days in pink and the cyclamen jersey. In July he doubled down at home, taking two stages and the overall at the Tour of Denmark, one in a sprint and the other with a long solo raid that recalled his rawest strengths.

Reflecting on missing the Tour, Pedersen admitted he had learned something in the process. ‘If the Tour is the main focus, then you might not perform 100% in other races. I realised that you can have a good season without doing the Tour,’ he told Cyclingnews and other media ahead of the Vuelta. ‘It made me realise that the Tour de France is not everything,’ he added. ‘I’m not done with the Tour. I’m still aiming to win the points jersey in the Tour one day. So I’m definitely not done with the Tour yet. Why should I put it away? Just because I don’t do it for one season? I’m not on the retirement part of my career yet."

“Some years the team have other plans, the riders too. This year it was not me, I wasn’t selected for the Tour, but hopefully it could be next year,” he added.

The Tour may have passed him by, but the Vuelta offers its own opportunities. His goals are clear: win stages, fight for the points jersey and share leadership with Giulio Ciccone.

The Giro provided the model. There Ciccone and Pedersen managed to coexist, both pursuing their ambitions without undermining the other. “On this team, we can deal with having two priorities,” Pedersen said. “We can share the work, we can share the pressure, and we can share the results. We showed it already in the Giro and we believe we can do the same here.”

“I can help Cicco on some days if I have really good climbing legs, and Cicco can make a difference for me where the finish would be suited for me. I think this combination and this respect for each other makes it possible to have two equal priorities,” he explained.

The Vuelta wastes no time in testing Pedersen. Stage 1 to Novara offers the chance for the Dane to pull on red, but also brings Jasper Philipsen onto his wheel. Philipsen may still be regaining form after his crash at the Tour, but he remains the benchmark in any flat finish.

“It makes it tougher to win stage 1, but nothing is impossible,” Pedersen said. “I was racing against him in Denmark, and I have beaten him before in the sprint. Okay, just one sprint out of many, but it gives me enough belief in myself and the team that hopefully we can start this Vuelta with a good result.”

The Vuelta now becomes the next chapter in a season that has been anything but second choice. For Pedersen the focus is simple: three weeks, stage wins, and another points jersey to chase. The Tour can wait.