This will be the program for Pedersen in 2025: "That's where we want to maximize performance"
Cycling
Mads Pedersen's spring season was practically outstanding. In small French stage races, he took one victory after another. Then he won in Ghent-Wevelgem and stood on the podium in Paris-Roubaix. Without the crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders would probably have fared much better as well. The Dane is already looking to 2025 and can only think one thing then: never change a winning team.
Mattias Reck's trainer confirms to Ekstra Bladet that little will be changed to the proven formula. Pedersen began the 2024 season with six victories in the Étoile de Bessèges and Tour de la Provence stage races, followed by a solid classics campaign, which is partly reflected in the results but partly also not. Lidl-Trek, therefore, looks back on 2024 with satisfaction. According to Reck, the plan for 2025 is thus simple: "We are not going to do anything different. It fits so well that we will copy-paste what we have done leading up to Paris-Roubaix."
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Paris-Roubaix will be Pedersen's big goal
So let it be clear, Pedersen hinted at this earlier, the Hell of the North is the big goal in 2025 for the former world champion. As in 2024, the mighty Dane will open his season with two stage races in France, most likely again Étoile de Bessèges and the Tour de la Provence. After these races, he will head to Mallorca for a training camp before riding the first WorldTour race of the season, most likely Paris-Nice. After that, the classics will follow. Reck is optimistic: "His program until Paris-Roubaix is settled, and we want to perform there to the maximum."
What happens after the classics remains unclear for now. According to Kim Andersen, Pedersen's Danish team manager at Lidl-Trek, assembling the star teams for the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta will be a complex puzzle. Reck confirmed that Pedersen remains flexible: "Everything after the spring is uncertain. It depends on what the team and sponsors want to achieve."
Planning for the rest of the season will probably only become apparent after Lidl-Trek's training camp in December. For now, Pedersen is focusing on the spring of 2025, in which he wants to stand out again as one of the big names in the peloton. His trainer is confident: "With our approach, Mads can again play a leading role in the classics."
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024