'There's clearly something wrong' Pedersen considers retirement

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has opened a scenario that will be the subject of considerable discussion among fantasy cycling fans: the Danish rider is seriously considering withdrawing from the Vuelta a España early, due to a physical condition that is far from his usual standards and with the World Championships getting ever closer and more worrying.

The Dane, world champion in 2019, is in such poor form that even his call-up for one of the eight places available for his national team in the road race in Montreal, scheduled for September 27, is in doubt.

Pedersen's comments came after stage 10 of the Vuelta, a challenging stage with a tight sprint finish where the Dane could have played his cards as a protagonist. Instead, he was dropped already on the decisive climb.

"I really don't know what to say. The level isn't there at the moment – ​​I'm not talking about fitness, that's fine, but there's clearly something that's not working as it should," Pedersen told Eurosport , revealing a certain bewilderment.

The Scandinavian champion had already battled a season-long illness in the early stages of the race, but he made it clear that this doesn't explain everything that's happening, announcing that there will be internal discussions within the team on what to do in the next few hours.

"Now is the time to really analyze the situation, instead of waiting a few days. We'll go home and evaluate the best plan for the rest of the race," explained the Lidl-Trek rider.

"It's not just a decision that concerns me; more than one team member is involved in these kinds of decisions. We'll see in the end. Of course, I'd like to continue racing, but at a certain point the choice has to make sense," he added, leaving the door open to both scenarios.