Sometimes wins in road cycling can come entirely off the cuff, improvised throughout 100s of kilometres of road and with almost 200 riders competing for the same small slice of glory, but on other days – such as stage 4 of the Tour de France on Tuesday – a victory can have been several months in the making.
Lidl-Trek were the beneficiaries of such meticulous planning in Foix, with Mads Pedersen crossing the line and roaring in celebration, just as head sports director Steven de Jongh had imagined happening when he did a recon of the 182-kilometre route months in advance.
