"The route they've presented seems good for..." - Mads Pedersen or Jonathan Milan, who gets the Lidl-Trek Tour de France lead in 2026?
Cycling
How many teams have the pleasure of having two potential green jersey winners at the Tour de France? It's not often a choice any team has to make, but Lidl-Trek into 2026 has to choose one of its sprinters over the other to pursuit the fast men's top objective: Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan.
In 2025 they have made history, with the American team winning the points classification at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España with Pedersen, whilst Milan took the win at the Tour de France. They have won the classification in all Grand Tours, with two different riders, and with stage wins in all of them. It could only be called a success, but in 2026 there may be a switch.
"It's no secret that the Green Jersey at the Tour de France is a goal for Mads. And it must also be said that he's 'senior' compared to Milan. We know that the two of them can't ride a Tour de France together if Pedersen is competing for the points classification," DS Kim Andersen said in words to Feltet.
Pedersen has not yet won green at the Tour, and this year Milan was chosen over him - with the promised success delivered. Having both at the Tour is a possibility, but not if both have the same ambition:
"On flat stages, Mads would be the best possible pacesetter in the world for Jonathan, but then he would no longer be able to race for points, as he usually does, even attacking on stages that aren't entirely for sprinters. Right now, that can't work."
Pedersen in pole position?
Andersen's words seem to indicate that Pedersen is likely to be given this role, taking into consideration that he was left out this year, has shown eagerness to return and the fact that he had his best season to date. Additionally, Jonathan Milan already achieved his goal of winning stages and the jersey, which has removed the pressure from his shoulders.
"That Mads wants to return is a given. The route they've presented seems good for him. He could have a great start, given that we've already shown on a few occasions that we can run excellent team time trials," Andersen already argued. Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose will also be having their own GC ambitions in the two first Grand Tours of the year, but the lineup selections are going to be a challenge all-round.
"Then, the second stage is tough and suits him very well. Overall, there are four stages for sprinters only, and two that could end with either a breakaway or a sprint finish," the Dane adds. "The last one? No, I don't see it as a sprint finish. We saw it in 2025; there will be a selection."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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