TakeWorlds7 days ago
Pedersen isn't using the Vuelta to build toward Worlds — he says the Canada course doesn't suit him, so he's chasing stage wins instead and will let selection sort itself out. That's a different problem than bad legs: a former world champion openly decoupling his Grand Tour form from his Worlds ambitions.
The Vuelta runs until September 13, Worlds' road race isn't until September 27 — a buffer most riders would use to find form. Pedersen has explicitly said he isn't: "I'm not using the Vuelta to prepare for the World Championships," citing a Canada course that doesn't suit him, adding "I'm here to go for stage wins, and then we'll see if I'm selected... and how my form is at that point." Combined with admitting he's "a bit inconsistent" through nine stages and not "completely in top shape," he still expects to be "ready for the World Championships in a month" — this is a strategic split, not a fitness crisis.
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