'They’re probably going to race like hell' - Decathlon's Pedersen expects UAE to hit back after Giro disaster
UAE Team Emirates XRG arrived at the Giro d’Italia with options across the race. After Stage 2, that picture looks very different. A mass crash in Bulgaria has stripped the team of three riders, damaged its GC ambitions and left one of the strongest squads in the race trying to redefine its Giro on the fly. But after speaking to Mikkel Bjerg, Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen of Decathlon CMA CGM believes UAE will still leave its mark on the Giro.
Marc Soler and Jay Vine were both forced to abandon on the day, with the team later confirming that Vine had suffered a concussion and elbow fracture, while Soler sustained a pelvic fracture. Adam Yates initially finished the stage, but was pulled from the race overnight after showing delayed concussive symptoms.
That left UAE with just five riders heading into stage 3: Igor Arrieta, Mikkel Bjerg, Jan Christen, Jhonatan Narváez and António Morgado.
Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat on the first rest day, Decathlon CMA CGM's Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen said he had spoken with Bjerg after the crash.
“I had a chat with Mikkel, fellow countryman. He’s quite down about it,” Pedersen said. “I talked with him on the third stage and I said, are you going on the breakaway? He said no, they were told just to make it to Italy now.”
For UAE, stage 3 was about survival. Get through Bulgaria, reach Italy, and reassess.
But Pedersen does not expect them to ride anonymously from here. With their GC plans badly damaged, he believes UAE could become one of the most aggressive teams in the race.
“They’ll manage and they’ll find a way,” he said. “For sure they’re going to win a couple stages now. Even still without a GC in mind, they’re probably going to race like hell on some of these breakaway stages.”
Stage 4 could be the first chance to see that shift. It is not a pure sprint stage, but not a mountain stage either. That middle ground usually invites tension: sprint teams trying to control, opportunists trying to break the race open.
Pedersen expects Astana, defending the leader’s jersey, to influence how the day plays out. “With Astana in the lead they will do everything to hold on to the GC lead because it’s not for sure they will get the leader’s jersey back if they lose it.”
For Decathlon CMA CGM, the day still offers a chance for Tobias Lund Andresen, provided he can get over the climb. Pedersen remains confident in their sprint setup after Lund Andresen finished second on stage 1 and ninth on stage 3.
“We know Toby has the speed, we know Toby has the fatigue resistance to be there in the sprint also on a hard day.”
Pedersen stopped short of making a prediction. “It will be quite interesting to see what happens on the climb tomorrow. It can go both ways.”
UAE have lost their original plan. That does not mean they have lost their Giro. For Pedersen, that could make them a team to watch rather than a team to write off.
Listen to the full Hotseat episode with Søjberg Pedersen 👇
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