The Danish National Champion sprints to the win in stage two at the Harold Sun Tour
The hot-streak for Trek-Segafredo continued with Mads Pedersen sprinting to the team’s sixth victory from a reduced peloton in stage two at the Harold Sun Tour Friday.
Trek-Segafredo had already captured two wins in Argentina and three in Mallorca – easily its best start to a season – and the riders competing in Australia were inspired to bring the team another from Down Under.
Pedersen said:
"We missed the win yesterday, we were really close after doing a really good job, so this morning when we had the [team] meeting we talked together, and we were really motivated to bring home a victory from Australia."
Pedersen made certain of that at the end of the 198.6-kilometer race, unleashing a powerful kick to the line after a great leadout from one of the best in business.
"The whole team did an amazing job today and Koen (de Kort) did a one-kilometer leadout! It was just the perfect day - we were always good, in the front, no stupid moves, no dangerous points for us, just really good all day. We have to keep up with what the team did in Argentina and Europe, so it was good to have a victory here also. Now we have six victories on the team - that's really nice."
Koen de Kort
It was a straightforward race with the Mitchelton-Scott team helping Trek-Segafredo control the breakaway until the leaders were contained ahead of the final obstacle of the day, the Buninyong climb.
Although not long, Buninyong topped out four kilometers from the finish and losing contact here could spell the end of the game for Pedersen.
"I was a little bit afraid of the climb in the finale, but I believed in it, and Alex (Frame) started to pull; the team was putting a little bit of pressure on me, and then I believed even more in it. I really thought I could survive the climb and I knew if I did, I had a really good chance to win the sprint."
Following the wheel of trusted lieutenant De Kort, Pedersen made it over the climb, and then made good on sealing the team’s sixth win of the year.
