“This is critical” – Bjarne Riis raises alarm over crash injuries that could derail Mads Pedersen’s Spring Classics campaign

The consequences of Mads Pedersen’s season-opening crash are more serious than first hoped, according to Bjarne Riis, who has delivered a stark assessment of what the injuries could mean for the Dane’s Spring Classics ambitions.

“Mads on the other hand: this is critical. It’s a question of time, whether he can make it,” Riis said when analysing Pedersen’s situation in comments reported by Ekstra Bladet.

Pedersen crashed and abandoned the opening stage of the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, with Lidl-Trek later confirming fractures to both his wrist and collarbone.

The crash immediately disrupted a carefully structured early-season build-up, with key February and March race blocks intended to lead into the Spring Classics.

While the severity of the crash is undeniable, Riis was clear that not all injuries pose the same long-term risk.

He expressed little concern over the collarbone fracture, pointing instead to Pedersen’s resilience and the predictable nature of recovery following surgery. “A broken collarbone is serious in itself, but when it’s operated on, it holds after a very short time. Then it’s about being able to cope with the pain, and Mads is good at that,” Riis said.

The wrist injury, however, is where the uncertainty lies. “It depends on the wrist and how bad it is. He can, of course, sit on a stationary bike, but you can’t do that for very long, because at some point you have to get out and ride the climbs that are required,” he explained, referencing the demands of classics preparation.

That distinction matters. While general fitness can be maintained indoors during recovery, the specificity required for races such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix demands extended time on the road, repeated accelerations, and sustained load through the upper body, all of which place stress on the wrist.

Riis stopped short of declaring Pedersen’s spring campaign lost, but his outlook on the early monuments was cautious. “Milano-Sanremo will be difficult, so it’s probably more Flanders and Roubaix that will suit him. But it’s hard to say now,” he said.

That assessment aligns with what is already known about Pedersen’s injury timeline. Wrist fractures are notoriously variable in recovery, particularly for riders targeting cobbled races where constant vibration and repeated impacts are unavoidable. Even short delays in returning to full outdoor training can have knock-on effects for form and timing later in the spring.

Riis has also recently spoken publicly about other Danish riders, including Jonas Vingegaard, but his tone on Pedersen was notably more serious. Where other setbacks may be manageable through patience, Pedersen’s situation, in Riis’ view, is dictated by time and the narrow margins of a Spring Classics calendar that waits for no one.

For now, Pedersen’s resilience is not in question. Whether his preparation window proves long enough may be.