Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has won the second stage of the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg. After 155 km between Junglinster and Schifflange, he triumphed ahead of the overall leader Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Robin Froidevaux (Tudor Pro Cycling Team). Christophe Laporte (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) finished fourth.

Alexandre Kess (Team Luxembourg) and Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) formed the breakaway duo of the day. However, after just 70 km, Reinderink dropped back after securing the first place in the mountain classification at the Montée de Steinsel. Kess continued alone at the front, with a maximum lead of three minutes. The Luxembourger, who had also been in the breakaway on the first stage, ultimately stood no chance.

On the final circuit around Schifflange, the race really picked up. There were attacks from several riders, but in the end, it came down to a sprint of the leading group, which included all the favorites. Pedersen benefited from the strong work of his Lidl-Trek team to ultimately take the victory.

Van der Poel retained the yellow jersey as overall leader, holding a 10-second lead over Laporte.

One of the favorites has, however, dropped out: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), who won the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg two years ago, was unable to continue after a crash shortly after the start of the stage.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “It wasn’t just luck that I had enough teammates with me at the end. We have a strong team. It was a tough finale. We were able to counter all the attacks. The lead-out at the end was great. Of course, having a Luxembourger like Alex Kirsch on the team is an advantage. He knows every road and always tells us where we need to position ourselves. But it’s not just here; Alex is an important teammate throughout the entire season. Our original goal was to win the general classification with Mattias Skjelmose, but unfortunately, he had to drop out today. Tomorrow will be tough, and the profile doesn’t necessarily suit me.”

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It was another good day. The last five kilometers were very fast and hectic. The sprint was difficult, so I’m happy with the second place. There are only three of us left on the team, but that’s okay. We’re trying to control the stages somehow. Today went fine, but tomorrow that will be impossible. We’ll see what happens. It’s going to be very interesting.”