Pedersen debuts on the Tour after a powerful escape News

The Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) has won this Friday the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France, disputed between Bourg d'Oisans and Saint-Etienne over 192.6 kilometers, being the strongest of a powerful escape that was not intimidated before the push of the peloton, in a stage without changes in the general led by Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

Pedersen, in a breakout of seven members initially, knew how to get into the good cut along with Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) and Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) and did not give any option to his rivals, demonstrating his power.

The former world champion on the road in 2019 opened his record in the Tour de France with power, with a first partial victory at the age of 26, the 24th in total in his career. A brilliant victory, without hesitation, with a change of pace and pedaling that left his rivals dry.

It was a nice fight between the group of 6 --Pedersen, Wright, Houle, Küng, Jorgenson and Ganna-- and the peloton, on a day with windy areas, with cuts in the big group and with crashes, like the one made by that Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) lost contact and reached 20 minutes.

And that pulse was won by the breakaway, well matched until Pedersen started to open gas. The group was cut and, in that leading trio, there was no other option than the Danish bet, to confirm the good moment of cycling in the Nordic country after the victories of Magnus Cort and the leader, Jonas Vingegaard.

The peloton, without mishaps for the favourites, arrived at 5:45 minutes led by the green jersey Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). His teammate Vingegaard was able to relax, in quotes, in a stage without attacks or falls that affected any important man in the general classification, which did not undergo any changes.

This Saturday, the same city of Saint-Etienne will start stage 14, ending in Mende after 192.5 kilometres. A leg-breaking route stage, with up to five ports and a demanding finale with the Jalabert de la Croix Neuve Climb, with 3 kilometers at 10.2 percent on average just before the brief descent to the finish line in Mende.

A stage in which Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), double current champion of the French round, must test the leader and his team. It's not a high finish, no, but that Croix Neuve can be explosive and, if she has legs, the ones she seemed to recover on the Alpe d'Huez compared to her hell on the Granon, she could put a Vingegaard who has 2:22 minutes.

--CLASSIFICATIONS.

-Stage.

1. Mads Pedersen (DIN / Trek-Segafredo) 4:13:03.

2. Fred Wright (GBR/Bahrain-Victorious) m.t.

3. Hugo Houle (CAN/Israel-Premier Tech) m.t.

Stefan Küng (SUI / Groupama-FDJ) a 30.

5. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Movistar Team) m.t.

-General.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DIN/Jumbo-Visma) 50:47:34.

2. Tadej Pogacar (SVN/UAE Team Emirates) a 2:22.

3. Geraint Thomas (GBR/INEOS Grenadiers) 2:26.

Romain Bardet (FRA / Team DSM) 2:35.