Former Vuelta winner Horner has harsh words for Lidl-Trek after stage 9: 'You guys messed up tactically again'

In the run-up to the ninth stage of the Tour de France, there was a lot of talk about Lidl-Trek. Mads Pedersen’s team dominated the fourth stage, so it looked like they might do the same on stage nine. However, the team, now protecting the green jersey, had to commit heavily to the intermediate sprint. In the final stretch, the team fell short, though former rider and analyst Chris Horner points out that the team made some tactical blunders.

Early in the stage, Lidl-Trek did everything it could to help Pedersen take the full prize at the intermediate sprint, after which the attacks began immediately. Pedersen and Mathias Vacek had already expended a lot of energy, so the team ultimately focused on Derek Gee and Quinn Simmons in the breakaway group.

"Mads was pretty spent after the intermediate sprint, so you can't have it all. In that case, you make the decision not to have him in the breakaway and send two others instead," said team manager Steven de Jongh. “We wanted to slow down the leading group a bit, but Mads wasn’t feeling very confident heading into the final climb either.”

Former Vuelta winner Horner believes that Lidl-Trek should have played the Pedersen card from the start. “Because Van der Poel and Tom Pidcock have much more speed than Quinn Simmons and Derek Gee.” If we look at the peloton: Filippo Ganna obviously has some speed, Alex Aranburu of Cofidis has some speed, and so does Michael Matthews. So it’s certainly not a guaranteed victory for Mads Pedersen, but I would have bet on him.”

The American also points out to Lidl-Trek that they weren’t in a good position when Van der Poel accelerated on the final hill. “Mathieu van der Poel is in the lead, with Tobias Johannessen, Alex Baudin, Tom Pidcock, Pablo Castrillo, and Lennert Van Eetvelt following in that order. And only then come Quinn Simmons and Derek Gee. Guys, do you really want to start the final climb—a classics climb with a gradient exceeding 7%—with Mathieu van der Poel in the lead and both Lidl-Trek riders way at the back?” Horner wonders.

"You guys messed up tactically again with your positioning here. Yes, the team has been strong, but tactically they’re in the wrong place. I mean, it was a perfect opportunity to win the stage with Mads Pedersen if you’d just kept the group together and played the Pedersen card right away,” he concludes.