Mads Pedersen sets sights on Euro TT glory: 'This may be my only chance ever'

The Dane, who hasn't competed since the Danish Championships on June 29, shared his surprising goal during his Lang Distance podcast as he outlined his autumn racing schedule, after the success of his spring campaign with his most notable achievement a battling victory at Gent-Wevelgem.

"After Luxembourg, there are still ten days until the EC, and I hope I am selected by the national coach," Pedersen stated. "It's 24 kilometres long, and 22 of those are flat. The final two kilometres feature a climb of six to seven percent. This may be my only chance ever. So now we'll see if it works out. It would be fun to try if I get selected. There's plenty to look forward to in the upcoming months."

The 29-year-old Dane has built a strong case for selection, having recently won the Danish time trial championship against specialists including Kasper Asgreen, Johan Price-Pejtersen and Mikkel Bjerg. He also finished seventh in the stage 2 time trial of the 2025 Giro d'Italia in the maglia rosa.

Before tackling the European Championships in Ardèche, France, Pedersen's schedule includes the Tour of Denmark next week, followed by the Vuelta a España and the Tour of Luxembourg. While he'll undoubtedly target stage victories and potentially the points classification in the Vuelta, the time trial specialist opportunity clearly holds special appeal.

Though now known primarily as a classics specialist and sprinter, Pedersen began his career with considerable time trial prowess, amassing six professional victories in the discipline before shifting his focus to other areas of cycling.

The Danish rider enjoyed considerable success earlier this season at the Giro d'Italia, claiming four stage victories and the points classification before taking a break from racing through much of the summer, missing the Tour de France where teammate Jonathan Milan took two stage wins and the green jersey.