Pedersen details ‘really rough’ Vuelta illness as Tour auction helps two Danish riders reach Worlds

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has confirmed that he only felt fully recovered in the last couple of days following his withdrawal from the Vuelta a España, as he now turns his attention towards building for the World Championships in Montréal.

The Dane abandoned the Vuelta before the start of stage 11 due to illness, and explained on his podcast Lang Distance that it had taken him around a week to recover from the worst of the illness before returning to the bike.

"For about six or seven days after I stopped racing, it was really rough. Then I was able to start cycling a little again, and it’s only been in the last couple of days that I’ve felt completely fine," said Pedersen in an episode released on Monday.

Despite the setback, Pedersen believes that abandoning the Vuelta was the correct decision with the Worlds on the horizon in less than two weeks.

"But stopping the Vuelta was the right decision, because now I have enough time to train hard and be ready for the World Championships. I wouldn't have had that if I’d stayed in the Vuelta." 

Pedersen was set to lead the Danish team alongside Mattias Skjelmose, who also raced the Vuelta. However, Skjelmose also suffered from illness during the final week in Spain and made the decision to withdraw from selection. 

Therefore, the Danish team will be spearheaded in the elite men’s road race by the 2019 world champion, while the under-23 squad has also been strengthened thanks in part to Pedersen.

Kevin Biehl and Emil Nymand have been added to the Danish selection for the men's under-23 road race after extra funding was secured. In a press release on Monday morning, the Danish Cycling Union credited both diligent and cost-conscious work within its elite sports division from national coach Michael Mørkøv, as well as a generous contribution from Pedersen. 

The Lidl-Trek rider donated several items of memorabilia from this year’s Tour to be auctioned, with the proceeds helping to send more young Danish riders to the World and European Championships. 

Among the items for auction are a race-worn green skinsuit, gloves, socks and Pedersen’s race number from stage 21, as well as a signed helmet used during stages 5,6,7 and 8. 

The auction is currently projected to raise 24,900 Danish kroner (≈ £2,850) and will run until Wednesday.

"I have been working to make this a reality all year, and thanks to cost-conscious efforts within the elite sports division, and, not least, a major contribution from Mads Pedersen, we have now succeeded. That makes me incredibly happy and proud," explained Mørkøv in the press release.

The duo will line up for the under-23 road race on 25 September alongside Noah Andersen, Patrick Frydkjær, Mads Landbo, and Kristian Egholm, the younger brother of Pedersen's Lang Distance co-host and 2016 junior world champion Jakob.