"I'm not coming back from this": Mads Pedersen feared his career was over after early-season Valenciana crash
Cycling
Ahead of the 2026 season, Mads Pedersen was nominated by many into the role of challenger to Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel at the Classics. No wonder, Pedersen stood on the podium multiple times year prior and often has been the only man close to the two superstars. Thus the entrance to new season was filled with expectations, yet those immediately dispersed on Pedersen's first race-day at Volta a Comunitat Valenciana where the Dane had a severe crash.
Pedersen remembers lying face down in some bushes and attempting to push himself up but being unable to due to his injuries. "The race doctor straightaway thought I'd broken my neck and back so they put a neck cast on," Pedersen said on Half Wheeling podcast.
Jeroen Heymans, Pedersen's mechanic, was one of the first on the scene after his crash and remembers the rider "screaming in pain". "When I got closer, he said to call his wife. Of course, I was scared," Heymans said.
Michael Schär, Lidl-Trek's sporting director for that race, immediately feared the worst. But fortunately, the Dane gave positive feedback as soon as he had overcome the initial shock. "I asked him if he could move his legs and feet and he confirmed. This was good," Schär said.
Endless 90 minutes
Pedersen was shipped to a nearby hospital in an ambulance but both Pedersen and Schär remember how difficult that one-and-a-half hour journey was.
"It was quite an emotional ride. I remember telling Mikey: 'Look, if my back is broken, I'm not coming back from this and cycling is not for me anymore,'" Pedersen said. "I know I'm a big fighter but there's a limit for everything and that would've been my limit."
Schär recalls that he said he'd also step away if Pedersen had broken his back, and described the seriousness of such an accident. "Everything was in doubt," he said. "I think it's human in this moment that you start doubting a bit more than just the sport. You start doubting the big picture, what you're actually doing here, is it worth it what you're doing? This big questions come up."
The moment of relief
The two men have eventually made it to the hospital where they received the "good" news in the sense that Pedersen's back and neck were not injured as the Dane had feared. He didn't escape damage-free, but collarbone and wrist fractures are very much treatable nowadays. Estimated recovery period: 12 weeks.
And since Pedersen is the warrior he is, he'd been back at the team hotel that same evening. That was crucial to the team's mindset for the rest of the race, Schär describes this as a "typical Mads moment" which showcased why he is a "born leader".
Mads Pedersen at the 2026 Paris-Roubaix
While Mads kept a strong front, it was clear he was far from okay as he couldn't even eat his dinner properly. "I tried to keep the mood high," he added. "It was really tough. Eating was not possible, eating yogurts with a straw. I can't even explain how hard it was, you can't really move or eat."
Three months without racing would mean that Pedersen would've missed the entire spring, but cyclists are tough guys and so, mere six weeks later, Mads Pedersen was back at the Milano-Sanremo where he finished 4th. The former world champion was also 5th at Flanders and 7th at Roubaix. In that sense, it wasn't exactly a success campaign, but given circumstances, it was almost as impressive feat as winning one of the Monuments would've been.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
- There are only two people who will be competing with Tadej in 2027 and neither are Remco.awp12-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment