The Danish cycling star Mads Pedersen left many cycling commentators speechless after four stage victories in Giro d'Italia.
But that's not enough to impress Belgian cycling legend Roger De Vlaeminck:
"I am not saying that Pedersen is a bad rider, but he is not good. And he is certainly not fantastic," he says in an article in Het Nieuwsblad.
In the Belgian media 77-year-old Roger De Vlaeminck, who has 162 professional victories to his name, discusses Mads Pedersen and his performances this season with cycling icon Eddie Merckx.
In 2025, the Dane has, among other things, taken second and third place respectively in Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as well as won stages in the Giro d'Italia.
Those performances have seen Mads Pedersen climb to second in the UCI's world rankings, with the Slovenian megastar Tadej Pogacar sitting comfortably in first spot.
"They hype him up because he won a couple of stages in the Giro d'Italia. But he can't win a time trial and he can't win a mountain stage. For me, that doesn't make you a super rider," adds De Vlaeminck.
However, Eddie Merckx takes Mads Pedersen. He believes that he "looked strong in the Giro" and says that he would like to see him do the Paris-Roubaix.
In the same interview, Roger De Vlaeminck also criticizes Jonas Vingegaard for taking part in very few races.