Without a doubt, Mads Pedersen is the iconic rider of this Giro d'Italia. The Danish cyclist from Lidl-Trek has won his fourth stage today. After winning the first stage and wearing the pink jersey in Albania, Pedersen has also won the third and fifth stages and is the points classification leader. "I wouldn't say I'm among the top five riders in the world, but I'd say I'm among the top five cyclists in what I'm good at," Pedersen explained in the press conference. "I think all the hard work from this winter is paying off. Now I'm just focused on maintaining good form until Rome and keeping the ciclamino jersey." For a sprinter, the last kilometer is always a great challenge, and it's not easy to decide the exact point to launch the sprint. "You have to be smart and try to see all possible passages, and I had a passage on the left side. This time there was a bit of chaos, and I had to start my sprint 200 meters from the finish. In those moments, you don't have time to think too much, and you can't hesitate - you just have to go when you feel it's the right moment." Now Pedersen is also the Danish rider with the most stage wins in a Grand Tour, and the possibility of reaching Rome with the ciclamino jersey becomes stronger every day. "I don't consider it a disappointment not going to the Tour this year. I'm happy to be at the Giro; the team also has other riders who can go to the Tour, like Milan. I couldn't wait to come to the Giro and win the pink jersey. I've already had many stage wins, and now I have the ciclamino jersey, so I can say I'm truly happy." In the team, there's also Vacek, a rider with great potential, and Pedersen hopes he'll soon get his victory and will be happy to work to help him achieve it. "Today, I would have given this victory to Vacek if it were possible. He deserves to win a Grand Tour stage because he has worked so hard alongside me, not just here but also in the Classics. With my teammates, we travel 200 days a year, train, and they work hard to help me win. So like Vacek, every other guy on the team deserves to win, and I hope one day to see them cross the finish line first." Besides Vacek, there's Giulio Ciccone, who is doing well in this Giro. According to Pedersen, when the mountains come, he can definitely get ahead and fight for victory. "I believe Giulio is in excellent form. And I think the combination of having both of us at the Giro is really positive because it reduces the pressure on Giulio, who must give his best every day. This way, we can share the pressure, and he knows he has a really strong team around him and also knows when things aren't going well for me. He's definitely more relaxed and has found an excellent balance between taking it easy and overcoming the mental and physical barrier when necessary. I think he's back to being the best Giulio we've known, and he'll be one of the main contenders to win the pink jersey."