Mads Pedersen has his goal for 2025 marked in red: "13.04.2025"

The Lidl-Trek rider has already achieved a lot in his career. Although Roubaix seems almost tailor-made for the strong Dane, this Monument still leaves a gaping hole in his resume. At least, that’s how it must feel for Pedersen. He’s wasting no time: everything he does is aimed at that one goal — winning Paris-Roubaix. In 2025, everything else will have to take a back seat.

His best performance in Roubaix so far was in the most recent edition. The now 28-year-old finished third at the Vélodrome, though he crossed the line three minutes behind the unstoppable Mathieu van der Poel. On that day, there was little anyone could do against the Dutchman. "In Flanders, my head was spinning so fast, that's how hard he went for it there. I tried to do better now in Paris-Roubaix, but Mathieu was once again impressive. I couldn't follow him, simple as that. How to beat him in a Monument? At the moment, I, or we, don't have the answers there. That's clear," Pedersen openly admitted in an interview with IDLProCycling.com.

He had an excuse though, after his hard crash in Gent-Wevelgem, two weeks prior. Perhaps that’s why Pedersen is speaking out so boldly now: he sees 2025 as a chance to perform even better. The organizers of Roubaix are certainly looking forward to it: "We’re waiting for you, Mads," responded the official Paris-Roubaix Instagram account under his post.