Pedersen is domestique of Skjelmose, but in his mind he is already at World Championship 2029 in his own country: "Shall I retire then?"

Danish cyclists have their minds set on Sunday but are already glancing toward 2029 when Denmark will host the World Cycling Championships. For Mads Pedersen, this could be an excellent last chance. Matthias Skjelmose is the leader in Zurich and, after his fall in Luxembourg, is focusing on the near future.

Pedersen sees a perfect opportunity in the World Championships in his own country. The course will logically be flatter than the Zurich, Kigali, and Montreal World Championships of the coming years. "It's going to be great. I once missed the World Championships at home (2011, ed.) when I was just under 17, but now it's returning to Denmark. It will be an experience I will remember for the rest of my career," the Danish world champion told Harrogate in 2019.

By then, the sprinter will be nearing the end of his career. "Will I retire then? Yes, it could be. You never know; I'll be 34 years old by then." Ending an outstanding career with a second rainbow jersey would be fantastic, especially in his country. But Pedersen is certainly not ready yet. "I still have some unfinished business with the monuments," he refers to Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, and Milan-San Remo.

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Skjelmose: "Could actually prepare better at home"

Danish fans were worried after Skjelmose crashed in the Round of Luxembourg just before the World Championship. But there was never any panic among the rider himself. "I think only others had that. I knew I had to be there, and it worked out," he explained to TV2.  "I was on the bike for three hours immediately the next day. I have trained hard since then and have prepared maybe even better than in Luxembourg."

Thus, the crash was a stroke of luck. "My thought the whole time was that I could prepare better at home, and after the crash, the decision was immediate. I went through it with Kim (Andersen, Lidl-Trek team manager, ed.) on the spot, and we agreed that it was better not to take it any further concerning the World Championships. We believed that I could have prepared just fine in Luxembourg. But because of the preparation I had at home, I can't see that I could have done better."

Fuglsang continues for another year

Jakob Fuglsang is the most experienced man in the Danish selection. The now 39-year-old climber will serve as road captain in Zurich. Here, he announced that he is adding another year to his career. "I haven't signed anything yet, but we more or less agreed and negotiated that I will continue next year as well. It's a matter of details," the Israel-Premier Tech rider told Feltet.dk. Where he will ride in 2025, he is still keeping secret. "We will just have to wait a little longer," he remains mysterious. Ekstra Bladet reported that the former winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy will simply renew with his current employer.

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