'We'll have to adapt': Pedersen acknowledges he has less 'ammunition' at Vuelta

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) says he will need to think carefully about how he approaches stage 10 of the Vuelta a España, admitting that he does not have the same "ammunition in the chamber."

Pedersen arrived at the Vuelta after a standout Tour de France where he claimed a stage and won the points classification, as one of the race’s most combative riders, and naturally his efforts took a lot of resources. 

He kicked off the Vuelta with a solid time trial performance in Monaco to take 15th, before finishing 4th on the opening sprint stage behind Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike). He came even closer on stage 8 in Xeraco, narrowly finishing second behind Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).

Speaking on his Lang Distance podcast, Pedersen explained that he had not been firing on all cylinders during the opening week.

“It's going okay. It’s a bit up and down, to be honest. I’m suffering a bit from a sore throat, if you can call it that,” said Pedersen. “I’m not firing on all cylinders yet, but that will come.”

The 2019 world champion also made clear that the Vuelta is not his only focus, with the World Championships in Montréal, Canada, an important target.

“The most important thing is that I’m ready for the World Championships in a month's time,” Pedersen added.

Ahead of stage 10, Pedersen told TV2 Sport that he had a “lovely” rest day, relaxing and recharging his batteries. He also explained that he and Lidl-Trek would need to be selective about how much they commit to the stage.

Stage 10 from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra covers 184.7km and features almost 3,000 metres of climbing, leaving the door open for both the breakaway and the more versatile fast men.

“It’s one of those days where we need to think carefully. Kim Andersen has also said that they’re looking after me, because I simply don’t have the same ammunition in the chamber as I did...”

"And we just have to accept that, that’s how it is right now. So we’ll have to adapt to it and use our heads a bit more than our muscles.”

Pedersen indicated that Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) could be a card that the German team could play, but also hasn’t ruled out his own chances if there is another sprint opportunity.

“And it could be that today is one of those days where you can say, ‘Let the breakaway go’, and then we might have Thibau Nys with us if it’s a breakaway that gets away,” said Pedersen.

“But if we get back to the peloton and Visma have taken control, then I’ll obviously try to be in the sprint if I’m there.”