“I felt like a passenger in the bunch” – Mads Pedersen admits illness left him unable to influence Classics as focus shifts to Tour of Flanders

Mads Pedersen’s 2026 Classics campaign has already been shaped by disruption, but his latest admission offers the clearest insight yet into just how compromised he has been at a crucial point in the season.

After a winter and early spring already affected by injury, the Lidl-Trek leader arrived at E3 Saxo Classic still searching for rhythm. A top 10 finish suggested resilience, but the reality beneath the result was far less convincing, with illness leaving him unable to impose himself on the race.

“I felt like a passenger in the bunch,” Pedersen said on the Lang Distance podcast, a stark description for a rider whose strength normally lies in dictating the hardest races on the calendar.

At the level Pedersen operates, even the smallest drop in condition is decisive. “If you’re missing five to ten per cent at this level, it’s really hard to make a difference,” he added, explaining why a result that might appear solid on paper told a very different story internally.

That context ultimately shaped one of the key decisions of his spring. Pedersen was forced out of In Flanders Fields, a race he has historically done well at, with the focus instead shifting towards preserving what remains of his Monument campaign.

The decision to withdraw was not taken lightly, but it reflects a broader recalibration after a turbulent start to the year that included fractures to his wrist and collarbone. With form already delayed, pushing through illness carried too much risk. “If I had dug myself completely into the ground, it wouldn’t have been a good week. Then we would be compensating all the way to Flanders, and we don’t need that,” Pedersen explained.

Instead, Lidl-Trek have prioritised recovery over short-term results, even if that meant stepping away from a race where he would normally expect to contend for victory.

The same cautious approach now extends to Dwars door Vlaanderen. “The plan is that I race, but if there’s still a bit of sickness in the body, it can be better to train hard instead of racing,” Pedersen said, leaving the door open to further adjustments depending on how his body responds.

What has changed most clearly is the framing of his entire season. “This year, everything is about the monuments. Everything in between is just preparation,” he added, underlining a shift away from chasing results across the calendar towards peaking for a small number of decisive targets.

There are, however, still physical limitations that could shape what is possible in the coming weeks. While Pedersen has already shown at Milan-Sanremo that he can compete deep into the longest races, his ability to finish them in his usual way remains uncertain. “I can feel that the top speed is still missing a bit,” he said, pointing to the impact of his earlier injury, which restricted his ability to train explosively and rebuild his sprint fully.

That detail may prove critical. Pedersen’s edge in the Classics has often come not just from surviving the hardest races, but from finishing them with one of the fastest sprints in a reduced group. Without that final sharpness, simply being present is not always enough.

Within Lidl-Trek, there is at least no ambiguity about how they will approach the coming races. “When I start, it’s me we ride for. There are no shared leaders,” Pedersen confirmed, making clear that when he lines up, the team will be fully committed to his chances.

The question now is whether his body will allow him to reach the level required. The signs are there, but with a disrupted build-up and illness interrupting momentum at the worst possible time, Pedersen heads towards the Tour of Flanders not as the fully formed contender of previous years, but as a rider still trying to arrive at his peak.