“Mads Pedersen gets better every year” – Jan Bakelants hails Lidl-Trek leader as last of a dying breed
Cycling
Mads Pedersen has never fitted neatly into one box. Not a pure sprinter, not a pure classics brute, not a GC rider. Yet year after year, he keeps winning, keeps adapting, and keeps adding layers to his career.
That is exactly what caught the attention of Jan Bakelants when he spoke in conversation with Sporza’s Vive le Velo at the Velofollies cycling fair. Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Bakelants singled out the Lidl-Trek leader in a way that went beyond results. “Mads Pedersen gets better every year,” he said, before adding that he is “an incredibly strong rider”.
Bakelants was not just praising power. He was praising independence. He contrasted Pedersen with a generation shaped by data, systems and specialists. “They no longer think for themselves,” he said of many modern riders. “That ability to reason for yourself has faded, because everything is outsourced.”
Then came the line that defined his view of Pedersen: “With Pedersen, that is the case. He knows what worked before and he does not have to throw it all away just because a specialist from a certain university has said something.”
In Bakelants’ eyes, that makes Pedersen something rare in the modern peloton. A rider who still races with instinct.
Why Pedersen keeps moving forward
Pedersen’s career already has enough landmarks to stand on its own. World champion in 2019, multiple Gent-Wevelgem wins, stage victories in all three Grand Tours, and a growing reputation as one of the most complete one-day riders of his generation.
But what makes his story unusual is not where it started. It is how it has kept evolving.
In 2025, he produced what many called the best season of his career. He won Gent-Wevelgem again, stood on Monument podiums, took multiple Grand Tour stages and controlled points competitions, and dominated his home Tour of Denmark overall. He was not doing the same job better. He was doing more jobs at once.
That is where Bakelants’ idea of Pedersen as a “dying breed” starts to make sense. He is not locked into one role. He can sprint, survive hard classics, ride long breakaways, and manage three-week races with consistency. But he does it without looking like a rider waiting for instructions every kilometre.
Bakelants framed it simply. Pedersen knows what has worked for him. And he does not abandon it just because a new theory appears.
A modern rider with old instincts
Cycling has never been more scientific. Power, aerodynamics, nutrition, recovery and psychology are now measured, tested and optimised. Bakelants does not reject that world. He even said he would rather be a pro now than 15 years ago.
But he also sees a cost. “Many riders can no longer make their own plan,” he said.
Pedersen stands apart because he blends both worlds. He uses modern systems but does not disappear inside them. When races break apart, he still looks like a rider making decisions, not just following a script.
That has been visible again and again in his biggest wins. Long solo moves in classics. Smart positioning in reduced sprints. Choosing when to commit and when to let go. These are not just physical acts. They are judgment calls.
That is what Bakelants was really praising. Not just strength, but self-trust.
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What it means for 2026
As Pedersen enters 2026, he does so as one of the most reliable winners in the peloton and one of the hardest riders to categorise. His team, Lidl-Trek, have built heavily around him, even tying their long-term identity to his presence.
The next step in his story is not about proving he can win. He has already done that across almost every terrain. It is about whether this mix of instinct and evolution can finally carry him to the one prize still missing from his palmares: a Monument like Flanders or Roubaix.
Bakelants did not make predictions. He made an observation. In a sport increasingly shaped by systems, Mads Pedersen still races like a man who trusts his own head.
And as long as he keeps getting better every year, that way of racing may not be dying at all. It may just be winning.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
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