The Mads Pedersen Q&A š©š°
Exclusive interview with the Danish star as we cover the Giro/Tour selection, goals for 2025, his most controversial cycling opinion, PogaÄar, and much, much more š„
Hi Subscribers,
From within the current peloton, one of my favourite rider interviews has always been Mads Pedersen.
This is partly due to his racing style and the manner in which he wins, as he combines intellect and strength to outpace some of the finest riders in the world. However, itās also attributable to his notably dry sense of humour and his candid yet intelligent responses.
Some regard his answers as blunt, at times, but Iāve never found that to be the case if you take a second to appreciate his unique personality and the colour that he brings to the sport.
Trust me, in an age in which riders are becoming more formulaic with their answers and muted with their emotions, having a rider like Pedersen in the peloton only enriches cycling.
On Tuesday night, just as I was about to throw in the towel after a terrible travel day that included being absolutely fleeced by a rental car company, Lidl-Trek pinged me a message, saying that Pedersen would be free to talk ahead of his 2025 race debut at BessĆØges.
The former world champion didnāt attend the teamās media day last month, instead doing an online call with journalists, so the chance to sit down with the 29-year-old for a one-to-one was too good to turn down.
We had about 15 minutes together, and covered an array of topics, from Tadej PogaÄar, Lidl-Trekās Classics squad, Pedersenās most controversial cycling opinion, and of course the ins and outs of why heās doing the Giro dāItalia instead of the Tour.
I wanted to share the story before the start of stage 1 at BessĆØges.
I hope you enjoy it.
PS. If youāre a new subscriber, you can listen to the audio from the interview in the Founding Membersā WhatsApp group. To sign up for that, simply become a Founding Member from scratch or upgrade your account by heading to the settings page of your profile or the link below. A number of my interviews from BessĆØges will go straight on there during the week.
Daniel
Daniel Benson: How do you feel heading into your first race of the season?
Mads Pedersen: Itās good to pin the numbers on again and start racing, especially here, because now itās starting to become a routine to start here in BessĆØges. So, for sure, itās going to be nice to be back racing. I won the GC here last year, and won stages, so thatās what makes it a bit nicer to keep coming back. Weāll try and keep that rhythm of winning here after a good and smooth winter.
DB: Your schedule has been lined out now, and we know what races youāll be doing from BessĆØges through to the Vuelta a EspaƱa later in the year. We never know how the season will pan out in terms of potential changes but what are your thoughts on your race programme? Obviously, thereās a big change in there with a return to the Giro dāItalia, where youāve had success before, but no Tour de France.
MP: Itās a big team now and the team have different interests. Before it was easier to say āI want to do this, and this and thisā but now I understand the big picture of the team. I also understand that the team want to develop Jonny [Milan] in a good positive way, and after two years of winning the points jersey at the Giro dāItalia, of course, itās time for him to go to the Tour.