Alpecin-Deceuninck can count on new Danish acquisition in the classics: "There is a clear plan"

Johan Price-Pejtersen is the only non-neo-pro that Alpecin-Deceuninck signed this past winter. The former U23 world time trial champion joins from Bahrain Victorious and is expected to boost the team’s horsepower in support of Mathieu van der Poel. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the fast Dane during the team’s media day.

What are Price-Pejtersen’s ambitions at Alpecin-Deceuninck? He aims for a role similar to that of his fellow Dane, Mikkel Bjerg, at UAE Team Emirates – XRG. "What Bjerg is doing at UAE is exactly what I want to do. He does an excellent job. If I can perform like him in races, I’ll be happy," he says.

Price-Pejtersen will have a clear function in Van der Poel’s team. The tall Dane is a powerful engine, capable of shielding team leaders from the wind or setting a high pace at the front of the peloton. "The team brought me in to use my strengths to support the leaders," says Price-Pejtersen. "And to help position them properly."

"Whether I will have to ride at the front from the beginning of the race? Here we already have a very strong rider to do that, Silvan Dillier. He has been doing that for several years. Sometimes when he was in the lead I was at the back of the peloton thinking, 'Motherfucker...!' " Because the Dane was always so strong, he explains. "My role still has to grow and we'll see where the team thinks I fit best. But I'm one hundred percent dedicated to doing my job there."

The biggest difference between his old team, Bahrain Victorious, and Alpecin-Deceuninck, according to the Dane, is the structure. "There is a clear plan about what we want to do in the different races," he says. "The communication here is better than in my previous team, here I know perfectly where and when I have to be in what form."

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Superteams UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Alpecin-Deceuninck cross paths and set for battle

Price-Pejtersen made a name for himself as a time trial specialist. He and Mikkel Bjerg dominated the U23 World Time Trial Championships for Denmark, winning four consecutive titles—three for Bjerg and one for Price-Pejtersen in 2021. After those victories, Bjerg took on a support role at UAE Team Emirates, the number one team in the world.

Can Price-Pejtersen become Alpecin-Deceuninck’s version of Bjerg? "That’s definitely the goal. I want to give my all in support of Van der Poel or Jasper Philipsen. Mikkel is an incredible rider. I know him pretty well—we live near each other, and of course, we both speak Danish. That makes it easy to talk in the peloton and build a relationship. What Bjerg is doing at UAE is exactly what I want to do. He does an outstanding job for them. If I can do the same for my team, I’ll be happy."

Can Price-Pejtersen become Alpecin-Deceuninck’s version of Bjerg? "That is definitely the goal. I want to give my best in support of Van der Poel or Jasper Philipsen. Mikkel is a really strong rider. I know him a bit—we live close to each other, and of course, we both speak Danish. That makes it easy to talk in the peloton and build a relationship. What Bjerg is doing at UAE is exactly what I want to do. He does an excellent job for UAE. If I can do what he does in races, I’ll be happy."

At Alpecin-Deceuninck, Price-Pejtersen will also continue to focus on time trials. Despite winning the U23 World Championship time trial in 2021, Kasper Asgreen and Bjerg have been preferred for the elite World Championship squad so far. "If you look at the core of what I’m good at, it's time trialing," says Price-Pejtersen. "With the right form and development, I can aim for podiums and victories. And I dream of competing at the World Championships in time trials. I’ve never been selected for the elite team, but if my level keeps improving, that shouldn’t be a problem."

"Last year, six weeks before the Chrono des Nations, I broke my collarbone," he recalls. "I had really built up toward that race and wanted to show what I was capable of. It ended up being a great battle with Stefan Küng and Jay Vine for the win. There were only five seconds between us. I finished third, which was unfortunately the worst possible outcome. But staying within five seconds of those two riders after 45 kilometers was a confirmation for me that I’m on the right path. I hope to improve a little more, gain a few extra percentage points, and then I’ll be ready for big results."

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Overturned disqualification at Danish Time Trial Championship: "It was supposed to be a turning point for the rider I wanted to become"

Price-Pejtersen claimed his first professional victory last year by winning the Danish Time Trial Championship, but his victory was initially taken away after he briefly rode on the bike path. After a seven-month wait, he was finally reinstated as the official winner. The Dane is still disgusted by how the situation unfolded. "It was a long battle with the Danish organization," he says. "But it wasn’t a battle for the sport or for objective truth. I believe that when you have such a clear role, you need to take responsibility. The organization was just trying to avoid bad publicity. Seven months later, we finally got the decision that I had won. But in the end, that also turned out to be bad publicity for them. I find it deeply disappointing that no one in the organization took it seriously."

The importance of wearing the Danish champion’s jersey cannot be underestimated, according to Price-Pejtersen. "It’s a major achievement in my career, and that’s why it was all so disappointing. I prepared incredibly hard to try to win that race. I had a great lead-up, I was focused, and I got the result I wanted—during one of the only opportunities I had for myself at Bahrain Victorious. Winning that race was supposed to be a turning point in becoming the rider I wanted to be. But that only made the disqualification even more disappointing."

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One of Gino Mäder's teammates when he died: "A week later I had to try to win the Danish championship"

The Danish Time Trial Championship had already been a major goal for Price-Pejtersen the year before. However, an early flat tire meant he couldn’t register a result. Yet, that period will always be remembered for a different reason. Just a week earlier, he was part of the same Bahrain team as Gino Mäder, who tragically lost his life following a descent crash during the Tour de Suisse. "Gino was a year older than me, and we were on the same team when the accident happened," says Price-Pejtersen.

"It was something truly tragic. Something I still haven’t fully processed to this day. Maybe in the future, I’ll be able to look back on that moment and understand just how heartbreaking it was. In cycling, you’re constantly looking ahead, and sometimes there’s no time to reflect on how crazy things can be. The best example is that just a week later, we were already back racing, trying to win that Danish time trial championship. That’s the reality, and it’s difficult to dwell on the accident. Everyone moves on quickly. Maybe one day, a fresh wind will hit me, and I’ll suddenly grasp just how absurd that whole situation really was."

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