Danish domestique explains difference between Van der Poel and Pedersen: 'Mads is much more involved'

Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen have clashed countless times in recent years. The two Classics specialists regularly battle it out on the cobbles, and that is unlikely to change next season. There is one rider who knows better than anyone what the similarities and differences are between the two stars: a man who rode first for the Dutchman and later for the Dane.

That rider is Søren Kragh Andersen. The Danish all-rounder joined Alpecin-Deceuninck in 2023 after seven successful seasons with Team DSM and its predecessor teams. After two years with the squad led by brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft, he made the move to Lidl-Trek. In 2025, he completed his first season in the colours of the German-American team. As a result, Kragh Andersen has unique insight into how both Pedersen and Van der Poel operate.

And it appears the 31-year-old domestique has no regrets about his switch to Lidl-Trek. “Mads is much more involved,” he explains in an interview with Feltet. “He involves me and all the other riders around him in his project, and in his ideas about planning and training. He approaches things differently: he explains it and then works everything out in detail.”

Van der Poel, on the other hand, works very differently from the former world champion Pedersen. The Dutchman - who was beaten by Pedersen in a direct confrontation at Gent-Wevelgem in 2024 - prefers more isolation. “Van der Poel obviously needs us, but only on race day,” Kragh Andersen explains. “The rest of the time is less important to him. He had his own setup.”

Pedersen sees himself as a leader at Lidl-Trek, not only in terms of results, but also when it comes to the broader aspects of leadership. Kragh Andersen recognises that as well. “Mads is a friend, not just because we’ve known each other since we were young, but also because of who he is within this team,” the Dane explains. “I don’t think there’s a single rider on the team who wouldn’t consider him a friend, and that does make things different.”

Still, the former Alpecin-Deceuninck rider does not want to sound overly negative about Van der Poel, whom he helped to victory at Milan–San Remo in 2023, a race in which Kragh Andersen himself finished fifth. “It was also a special experience to ride for Van der Poel,” he concludes, “because the way he did things - and still does - was so unique.”