No Tour de France for Mads Pedersen in 2025! Lidl-Trek fully backing Jonathan Milan for sprint success
Cycling
Although it's the biggest and most watched race on the calendar, not every rider has the Tour de France in their firing line. For Lidl-Trek star and two-time Tour de France stage winner Mads Pedersen, 2025 will see the Dane absent from the French Grand Tour for the first time since back in 2019.
As mentioned, Pedersen has had success at the Tour de France in the past, winning a stage of both the 2022 and 2023 editions, becoming a regular and prominent face in the race. This year though, the former world champion is set to embark on a Giro d'Italia - Vuelta a Espana double, leaving the door open for the team's other sprint sensation, Jonathan Milan to make a highly anticipated Tour de France debut later this summer.
"There will be no Tour for me this year. I will have the summer at home, and then I will ride the PostNord Danmark Rundt and the Vuelta," says the 29-year-old Pedersen at a virtual press conference attended by various news outlets. "It's not just my decision. We're a big team now and there are other priorities on the team too. Johnny (Jonathan Milan, ed.) can win a lot of stages."
"I would like to have ridden for the green jersey, but I'm not going to bed crying because I won't be riding the Tour. I also understand that the team has plans for all the riders. I'm taking it easy. Then there are other opportunities with the Giro and the Vuelta. Then you can try to win two points jerseys in one season," he continues. "I can easily understand the team doing what they do when there are the amount of sprints that there are in the Tour. Johnny is a better sprinter than me, so of course he should go to the Tour and try to win as many stages as possible."
Aside from the two aforementioned Grand Tours and a return to Denmark, Pedersen is once again targeting success in the Classics and especially, a first ever Monument victory. "Paris-Roubaix is the big goal. The program leading up to Paris-Roubaix is the same. After Roubaix there is a short break before I ride the Giro," explains the Dane. "My first grand tour was the Giro, and I love the race. We have to try to win as many stages as possible and take the points jersey."
Testing 1,2,3!
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) January 15, 2025
📸 @hardyccphotos pic.twitter.com/hGZCeyllej
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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- On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
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