Lidl-Trek, with the soaring Pedersen and wildcard Milan, no longer 'hopeless' against Van der Poel and Pogacar!

Lidl-Trek heads to Milan-San Remo with a formidable team for the first Monument of the cycling year. Toms Skujins, Jonathan Milan, and Mads Pedersen are the appointed leaders, with the latter particularly considered a strong contender to challenge Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel. The Danish rider is also confident about his form.

For Pedersen, this will be the first one-day race of the year. The Dane impressed in the early months with stage victories and the overall victory at the Etoile de Bessèges and an impressive three stage wins and the GC title in the Tour de la Provence. In Paris-Nice, he was beaten twice in mass sprints by Olav Kooij, finishing second on both occasions. "My entire winter and the complete build-up to Milan-San Remo has gone very well," the sprinter stated on the team's website. "This is quite different from last year when I fell ill during Paris-Nice and was far from ideal form for this race."

Steven de Jongh, team director of Lidl-Trek, confirmed this in a conversation with IDLProCycling.com on the final day of Tirreno-Adriatico. The Dutchman noted Pedersen's strong performance in France from afar. "Mads had a good Paris-Nice, and he was originally our leader. Given the final and the 300 kilometers, I think he's more suited," he commented when asked whether the Italian Jonathan Milan, with two stage victories in the Tirreno, might have claimed a role as a shadow leader for Milan-San Remo. "Jonathan has had a very good start to the season, and we are super happy with the results. He made a big step this winter, and it’s great to see. We will discuss how we'll split the roles heading into San Remo."

Continue reading below the photo!

Pedersen prefers to focus on himself

Last year, Pedersen finished sixth in La Primavera. "Right now, everything is going very well. I'm pleased with the feedback I've received from each race and where I stand currently." This year, the 28-year-old rider has already claimed four victories, competing exclusively in France so far. "I won't deny that I would have liked to win a stage in Paris-Nice, but I was close, and there were some tough days."

Pedersen acknowledges that there isn't one ideal scenario for him in Milan-San Remo, a race that spans a lengthy 300 kilometers. "I take the race as it comes. In my view, it wastes too much energy to plot out a specific scenario. Such plans are always subject to change. Then, I would have to mentally switch gears during the race. I just focus on myself and do everything as well as possible. With this mindset, I know I can win in a sprint from a small group of five to fifteen riders."

Continue reading below the photo!

Milan dreams of playing a role like Boonen and Cancellara

Milan, in turn, is waiting to see what unfolds. At the press conference on the final day of Tirreno – won by the Italian in a sprint – the sprinting sensation showed he has patience. "We'll have a strong team in Milan-San Remo. We'll try to support Mads. I hope to perform well in the classics this year, focusing on the sprints as well," he says. He also has his past idols. "Boonen, Cancellara, Sagan... They are all inspirations. We'll see what kind of rider I become. Maybe I'll lose some edge in the sprints because of my ambitions for the classics. So far, I'm very happy with the team, we are growing together. I'll keep working hard."

De Jongh is also patient. Winning in San Remo isn't a must for Lidl-Trek, but with Pedersen and Milan, it suddenly becomes a possibility. "Mads was flying at the start of last season too. We've expanded our staff, everyone gets a bit more attention. Nutrition is more fine-tuned, and we try to improve step by step every year. With Jonathan adding to our sprint capabilities, we've already broadened our chances. This should bear fruit in the future. We need to wait for San Remo and actually the whole spring season, to see how we've performed. With Mads's current form, he will definitely play a role. We also know it's very difficult with Pogacar, Van der Poel, and Van Aert at the start, but it's comforting to know we're not without a chance."