Pedersen on points win: 'Just extremely happy'

Mads Pedersen is poised to claim his first Tour de France points classification victory, a long-cherished goal he has pursued for years.

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I have wanted to win this for many years, but either I have crashed or not been good enough, and then it finally succeeds this year, even though the point rules were changed.

"I have wanted to win this for many years, but either I have crashed or not been good enough, and then it finally succeeds this year, even though the point rules were changed," Pedersen told TV 2. "I am just extremely happy."

He currently leads Jasper Philipsen by a substantial margin, having secured 527 points to Philipsen's 445. This potential win adds another Grand Tour points jersey to his collection, having previously achieved this in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.

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I am just extremely happy.

Pedersen acknowledged the increasing difficulty of achieving this feat in the future. "It only makes it cooler when it succeeds. I am happy to be able to tick it off. I knew it had to be this year, because it only gets harder and harder for me," he said. The rider is looking forward to celebrating with Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard.

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It only makes it cooler when it succeeds. I am happy to be able to tick it off. I knew it had to be this year, because it only gets harder and harder for me.