Mads Pedersen's team mates otherwise did a superb job of setting him up for the sprint, but he simply didn´t have the power in the decisive moment.
"We knew it was a difficult sprint for me with five or six kilometers straight. But we kept up well, and I was actually in a favorable position before the sprint. I just don't have the speed compared to Merlier", he said to TV 2 Sport after the race.
The charismatic Dane finished fourth on the stage, but subsequently Hugo Page, who finished third, was disqualified. Therefore, Mads Pedersen ended up in third place, a significant improvement after finishing in 12th spot on the 1st stage of the race.
He also couldn't ask for better help from his teammates.
"We are happy with the result. It is undoubtedly going in the right direction", said Mads Pedersen.
Tim Merlier made it two from two at the prestigious race, sprinting to a resounding victory while wearing the leader's yellow jersey.
French duo Emilien Jeannière of TotalEnergies and Hugo Page of Intermarche-Wanty took second and third spot respectively, with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) making the top five complete.
Pedersen and Kristoff then later moved up a place each after Page was disqualified for an irregular sprint.