PRESS CONFERENCE: "Last year I accepted not going to the Tour. Now he accepts" - Mads Pedersen insists no hard feeling with Jonathan Milan over Tour selection dilemma

Mads Pedersen spoke at length during Lidl-Trek’s press conference, addressing his continued hunt for a Monument, his confidence in Paris-Roubaix, team support for the classics, compromises around the Tour de France and the Green Jersey, tactical dynamics with the sport’s biggest names and how modern cycling has reshaped life as a professional. CyclingUpToDate was present to capture the full exchange.

Which races are your main targets this season?
Everything I’m starting at. You know the fashion by now, I guess. It’s pretty clear I’m still hunting that Monument. That’s a big goal, for sure.

Besides that, it’s about winning as much as possible. I will probably do different races to prepare for the classics, and I believe that part of good preparation is winning. Of course it’s nice to win early in the season. Hopefully this Monument will finally come into my pocket.

Then it will still be a goal to win the Green Jersey at the Tour.

Can you outline your early season programme?
I don’t think we as a team will do Valenciana anymore, so I will come down here to do Valenciana. Then I go to Provence. From there it’s basically copy paste.

Do you feel you can beat the very best riders, like Van der Poel, in races such as Roubaix?
Yes. Otherwise I wouldn’t work my ass off every day. Then I would just sit down and say I’ll take second best and that’s fine.

I haven’t been far off. In Flanders I beat him fair and square. He popped maybe five kilometres after me, but at the finish line I was still faster than him, and he was the best version of himself. So yes, I definitely believe I could beat him.

Were you surprised that he seemed much stronger a few weeks later in Roubaix?
No. I had a puncture. Otherwise I believe I could have followed him.

Of course it’s easy to sit here afterwards and say if and if and if. But every time I’m on the start line with these guys, I’m there because I believe I can beat them. If I didn’t believe that, I should do something else.

Especially in Roubaix. That’s my dream race. That’s why I’m hired by this team, to try to win these races. If I didn’t believe I could win, why should my team believe I could win either?

Is it realistic to beat riders who have bigger talent?
I’m fully aware that these guys have bigger talent and are better riders than me. But on specific days, I believe it’s possible to beat them. I’ve shown it before, at least with one of them.

Today it’s a different shell to crack. But we believe in it. We keep working on being the best versions of ourselves to win these races.

Did you read Brian Holm’s interview, where he was very confident you can still win a Monument?
No, I’m not really reading all these interviews. But that’s nice to hear. Then at least someone is believing in me.

We believe as a team that it’s possible to improve and get the last one or two percent to beat these guys.

Riders like Museeuw and Boonen improved as classics riders but lost sprint speed. Do you see a similar evolution in yourself?
I don’t know. I was ten years old when they did that, so I didn’t really look into it.

But I definitely improved as a bike rider in general. With that follows becoming a better classics rider, because that’s my focus. I also improved a lot on climbing. My sprinting is probably stationary the last couple of years.

But yes, I definitely feel that I’ve improved as a rider overall.

How do you assess your sprint now?
If I’m up against the best sprinters in the world, I’m going backwards compared to them. On pure flat sprints, I’m not getting faster.

The sprints have to fit me. Slightly uphill and so on. If they fit me, I know I can be there. But on flat sprints, I’m not improving.

But I don’t really care. As long as I can win a Monument, I’m willing to sacrifice a bit on sprinting.

With several key riders gone, who will support you in the classics?
That’s a good question. Matthias Norsgaard is no secret. Everyone knows I had a finger in that signing. It was a big wish for me to try to replace Daan Hoole.

It’s not easy to replace him. He grew up in this team and we taught him our racing style. We have to do the same with Matthias, but fast, because I don’t have ten years left in cycling.

We needed someone who knows these races and can improve physically quite fast. We believe Matthias is that guy.

What about Mathias Vacek?
He was insane at the Giro. He’s still young and willing to sacrifice a bit of his own chances to race with me, but he’s also learning a lot.

Sometimes it even gives him good chances to win races himself, because maybe someone is watching me and then he can take the chance. I will never block one of my teammates.

How important is the Danish core around you?
Soren Kragh Andersen as well. The team asked me about him as a bike rider, I told them, and a few months later he was signed.

We’ve been friends since we were kids. He’s had a good winter, he’s in a good place, and hopefully this group will be there with me in every race.

What is your strategy to win the Green Jersey?
I will focus first on the classics, and then we can talk about the Tour after the classics.

Is the Tour de France on your schedule?
Yes.

With or without Jonathan Milan?
Without.

Was that a difficult decision for the team?
It’s been a big wish of mine for many years to win the Green Jersey. Trying to do that with Jonny is not easy.

We also have Ayuso now, and that wouldn’t work. Last year I accepted not going to the Tour. Now he accepts that he’s not going and does something else. That’s how a big team works.

Is it difficult to make compromises for the team?
No. I’m totally fine with that.

Last year it was a smart decision to bring Jonny to the Tour and send me to the Giro. Now it’s his turn to compromise. That’s his problem.

Could Pogacar racing Roubaix be an advantage for you?
It depends on the race scenario. In Roubaix there’s always a surprise. Someone punctures. There are a million scenarios.

On one hand it’s nice that he’s there. On the other, it’s a pain in the ass. I can give you a good answer after the race.

Are you surprised by how Pogacar and Van der Poel race positively together?
No. That’s how we race now. If you stop riding, the race comes back together and then you’re dropped later anyway.

We ride because we want to win. And we also have self respect. It’s nice to look at.

Could races like Amstel suit you if tactics come into play?
It’s about adapting. Racing is changing and getting harder and longer. You have to adapt and try to be the best version of yourself every time.

I’m in a position where I can still dream of winning these races, and I’m happy with that.

Is skipping Flanders to focus on Roubaix an option?
No. I’m paid to ride the classics. That’s a no go.

Have you tested the tyre pressure system yet?
Not yet. Maybe we will. Otherwise it wouldn’t be on one of the bikes.

It could help. It could also be a piece of shit. If it doesn’t work, it’s gone. We test everything. If it doesn’t fit, it goes in the trash.

Did you expect cycling to become this serious when you were younger?
No. Not at all.

When I turned pro, cycling was completely different. Now you have to be so dialled in and serious. You grow into it. If you want to stay here, you have to accept it.

Do you often reflect on your world title in Yorkshire?
It brought more responsibility and more pressure. People expect you to win, and if you don’t, it’s a disappointment.

That’s something I had to learn fast.

Has Lidl’s arrival as title sponsor changed much?
Not yet. I’m still waiting for my Lidl employee shopping card.

But you can see big visions and big dreams now. Equipment, testing, design. I was always dreaming big. Now everyone in this team is dreaming big.