Mads Pedersen hopes for more aggressive racing, more stage wins, and another points jersey at the Back to Spain before he plots a return to the Tour de France, perhaps even in 2026.
The Lidl-Trek leader agreed to an alternative race programme in 2025 compared to recent seasons, riding the cobbled Classics, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, while pure sprinter Jonathan Milan was given protected status and stage win opportunities at the Tour de France.
Sharing leadership at the Vuelta with Ciccone
Before thinking about 2026, Pedersen is focused on 2025 and the Vuelta.
After the Giro, he won the Danish time trial title and then spent July training for the Vuelta. He showed he is back to his devastating best by winning two stages and the overall at the Tour of Denmark. His first win came in a reduced sprint after joining a key attack, his second with a long-range solo attack.
“The numbers are definitely good enough,” Pedersen said of his form and his Lidl-Trek teammates.
“It wasn’t possible to win like we did in Denmark without having the numbers where they should be. It was a good test for the Vuelta. The shape is definitely there, and I’m ready for the next three weeks.”
“In recent weeks, I trained as normal, I climbed the same amount of climbs as normal. The preparation was not more focused on climbing, it was about being in top shape and being able to push the power for the time that’s needed.”
Pedersen can count on Søren Kragh Andersen and time trialist Daan Hoole as his dedicated lead-out train, with other teammates, including co-leader Ciccone, likely to help Lild-Trek to split the peloton and drop rival sprinters whenever possible on the rolling stages of the Vuelta.
The first goal is Saturday’s opening stage. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is a late, extra sprint rival. Other possible stage win rivals include Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Ethan Vernon and Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech), Elia Viviani (Lotto), and Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL).
Philipsen is trying to reset his season after crashing out of the Tour and is not at his best but Pedersen considers him a threat.
“It makes it tougher to win stage 1, but nothing is impossible,” he said.
“I was racing against him in Denmark, and I have beaten him before in the sprint. Okay, just one sprint out of many, but it gives me enough belief in myself and the team that hopefully we can start this Vuelta with a good result.”
Pedersen will share team leadership with Ciccone, swapping a protected role as the terrain switches from rolling roads to mountain finishes. Both are ambitious for the Vuelta but are ready to work for each other, as they did successfully at the Giro.
“On this team, we can deal with having two priorities,” Pedersen said.
“We can share the work, we can share the pressure, and we can share the results. We showed it already in the Giro and we believe we can do the same here.
“I can help Cicco on some days if I have really good climbing legs, and Cicco can make a difference for me where the finish would be suited for me. I think this combination and this respect for each other makes it possible to have two equal priorities.”
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Vuelta a España coverage. Our team of journalists are on the ground from the Italian Gran Partida through to Madrid, bringing you breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage of the Grand Tour as it happens. Find out more.
