Mads fights through rain and crashes to sprint to third

“We have a goal and we have to fight every day for it.”

Today’s stage of the Giro, number five from Atripalda to Salerno, was maybe the most complicated and hectic day of the race so far and, for Trek-Segafredo, it saw the Team secure its third consecutive podium finish. It was Mads Pedersen who took this one, behind Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Milan (Bahrain-Victorious), after a very fast sprint.

The challenge between the fastest wheels in the bunch came after 171 kilometers of wet and wild racing in the rain and the dangers that come along with it. This was one of the reasons why, until 30 kilometers to go, the peloton was happy to not take too many risks and to control the day’s three-rider breakaway.

However, fate did not spare the peloton after the attackers had been caught. Three crashes in less than ten kilometers, which fortunately saw Trek-Segafredo come out unscathed, brought lots of tension and so, it was a natural conclusion to see a small selection made at the front of the field.

In the end, this reduced group went on to fight for the win with Mads once again not far off completing his grand slam of Grand Tour stage wins.

In Mads’ words…

It was a super hectic sprint, I fought for the win but yeah, I was not fast enough today.

We knew since the start that these kind of sprints, when we have to head straight on to the line at full speed till the last meter, and on wet roads, are the worst. They always bring so much stress, with lots of moves and riders everywhere. These situations are definitely hard to handle, they carry lots of hidden dangers. We have to be super fast and, at the same time, super focused on everything. Today we had a lot of crashes and I feel pretty lucky I didn’t go down. Such hectic situations are never nice and unfortunately it’s easy to make mistakes. I really hope everyone is ok, Remco first of all.

Anyway, let’s look forward. It’s the second podium on two stages, not bad, but of course we’re here to look for more than a good placement. Tomorrow could be another good chance on paper, and others will come. Let’s keep the focus on our goal and let’s keep fighting for it.