"We have no guarantees": Lidl-Trek gambles as Mads Pedersen skips preparation race for extra pre-Tour training camp

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.

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."

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.