This is not the kind of news you want to hear about Classics star, Mads Pedersen. The Lidl-Trek rider is one of the few who can challenge Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Mathieu van der Poel, world champ Tadej Pogačar, and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert. Unfortunately, he had a nasty crash and will be off the bike for a while.
The former world champion crashed during the first stage of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana. Stage 1 of the Spanish race was from Segorbe to Torreblanca, for a total of 160km. Biniam Girmay of NSN Cycling Team (formerly Israel-Premier Tech) took his first win of the year for his new team, in a stage which surely would have suited Pedersen as well.
After the crash, Lidl-Trek confirmed the fall had some nasty repercussions.
“Mads Pedersen suffered a fracture of the left wrist and right collarbone in the crash on day one at Volta Comunitat Valenciana, which will be operated on tomorrow,” the team posted.
Pedersen also added some thoughts on his Instagram Story, saying “This is not the best start to the year. But I’ll be back.”
The Lidl-Trek statement went on to say that the team’s first priority is to ensure Pedersen gets the best care possible. The immediate focus will be on a successful recovery to minimize the disruption to his season goals.
“We will announce his return to racing in due course and will share any further updates only if necessary,” the German WorldTour squad concluded.
Pedersen had some big goals for 2026, including the Spring Classics. It’s unclear how this will affect his preparation–something he’s been working pretty darn hard on.
“I’ve shown it’s possible to beat Mathieu. Tadej is a different story, but he’s a star of cycling — not just now, but forever,” he said to TNT. “Believe me, I try to find that last one per cent to beat these guys. I’m the one working my ass off every day.”
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