"We have no guarantees": Lidl-Trek gambles as Mads Pedersen skips preparation race for extra pre-Tour training camp
Cycling
Mads Pedersen has his job cut out for this summer - to complete his collection of points classification titles at the Tour de France. The Dane has been very successful in his quest last year, when he triumphed at both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
But the Lidl-Trek star's run-up to Tour this season has been far from perfect as a result of a crash on his season debut, Pedersen had to deal with a setback of a wrist injury. And that's why he has only 10 race days to his name in 2026 so far.
Originally, the plan was for Pedersen to work towards the Tour via Boucles de la Mayenne and the Baloise Belgium Tour, but the latter race was scrapped as Pedersen's new plan includes a "safe" extra training camp rather than a "risky" five-day race in Belgium.
"We have planned it this way now because Mads did another tough training block after Boucles de la Mayenne," sports director Kim Andersen told In de Leiderstrui.
Cobbles are beautiful, but dangerous
And so, the Boucles de la Mayenne - where Pedersen showed up in a good shape, including three top-10 results and one podium finish - will remain the former world champion's only international racing test until July.
"There is also some risk involved in a race like the Baloise Belgium Tour. The stages are short and the peloton consists of 160 riders. It really is a beautiful race, but it remains a Belgian race with cobblestones. You face risks with every race you start, but Mads obviously hasn't had a perfect year with his wrist yet. That is something we have taken into account as well."
Mads Pedersen at the 2026 Paris-Roubaix
Focus on points jersey
Pedersen therefore won't compete in a bigger competition for the entire month of June, and will only ride the Danish championships. Without a real comparison with his Tour de France rivals, it's an unusual strategy, which could backfire at Lidl-Trek.
"We are indeed aware of that, but we hope he responds well to this now as well. However, we have no guarantees," noted the experienced Andersen.
In the team time trial in Barcelona, an important role is immediately reserved for Pedersen, who will share the leadership at Lidl-Trek with Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose. While the latter two will aim for a GC result, Pedersen's time will come on every other stage: "The green jersey is of course a major goal," Andersen concluded.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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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
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
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