Pedersen apologizes after Olympic mishap: "This was not what we came for"

Mads Pedersen started Saturday's Olympic road race as one of the top favorites. The Dane led his countrymen, along with the Dutch and eventually the Belgians, but he had to settle for 'only' 20th place in Paris. This was clearly not what he had expected or hoped for.

Pedersen shared his version of the race with TV2. "I think we rode very well until we got to Paris, but then it became chaotic. A bike change for Mattias (Skjelmose, his last man, ed.) and a flat tire for me didn't make it any easier. After that, the race broke open while we were behind."

"From that moment on, we were putting out fires, which was not optimal," said the former world champion, who immediately assessed the outcome. "We have to be disappointed with this result at the Olympics. This was not what we came for, and we regret that, also for the federation and all the people who supported us. We always do our best, but this time it was not enough for a top result," the team leader apologized.

Pedersen not going to Vuelta, Skjelmose is

Pedersen is now focusing on the Tour of Poland. The Dane was originally supposed to compete in the Vuelta a España but chose to change his plans and focus on a series of stage races and one-day races. Teammate and compatriot Skjelmose, however, is targeting the Spanish tour as his main goal for the 2024 cycling year.

He also responded shortly after the Olympics. "The timing of my bike change was just really bad, as it was right before the hill where I was supposed to perform my task. Now Mads had to waste his energy there," said the general classification rider, who finished 14th in the Olympic time trial in Paris a week earlier.

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