"The winter went well. The form is good" - Mads Pedersen heads into contract year at Lidl-Trek determined to prove his worth

For Mads Pedersen, 2025 marks a potentially big year in the Dane's career. In his contract year at Lidl-Trek and after missing out on the team's early projection for their Tour de France lineup, Pedersen is determined to prove his worth.

"The winter went well. The form is good. It's going as planned so far," Pedersen reveals in quotes collected by Feltet.dk from a virtual press conference, clearly optimistic about his plans for the coming year. "No injuries, illness or anything. It's definitely a good start to be healthy in January. The goals are of course the same as always. Nothing has changed there. I want to win bike races. That's in my head of course."

Whilst the broad goal of winning bike races remains the same, there are some changes to which races. As mentioned, there will be no Tour de France for Pedersen in 2025 as Lidl-Trek go with Jonathan Milan for the sprints instead, leaving the Dane instead taking on a Giro d'Italia - Vuelta a Espana double. Pedersen also has noted targets in the Spring Classics, such a potential first Monument win of his career. Before all that though, Pedersen opens his campaign in France at Etoile de Bessèges in early February.

"I wouldn't say you can expect to win as much as last year. It was an exceptional start to the season with the results. But it's always a goal for us to start the season in really good shape, where I can race for the wins right away," he previews, having taken overall victory in the French race in 2024. "But don't expect Bességes and Provence to be a carbon copy of 2024. I'm going to the South of France with a lot of confidence, good memories from the races and really good shape. We'll see where it takes us."