Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek explain why Tour de France Stage 9 plan only partly worked
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 19:12
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Follow us on GoogleLidl-Trek have impressed during this Tour de France, but with so many exceptionally strong riders packed into one team, Stage 9 also exposed some of the German squad’s limitations. Speaking beside the team bus, sports director Steven de Jongh explained that Mads Pedersen had been central to a two-part plan that ultimately proved only partly successful.
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The first part of Lidl-Trek’s plan unfolded soon after the start in Malemort. The intermediate sprint was held in nearby Beynat and came at the top of an uphill section, making it ideally suited to Pedersen. The Dane collected the maximum 25 points and strengthened his lead in the points classification, taking his total to 268 points. Second-placed Biniam Girmay of NSN now has 223.
After the intermediate sprint, the second part of the plan was put into action: getting Pedersen into the breakaway. “If we found ourselves in a situation after the intermediate sprint where we could win, we would keep going. Otherwise, we would wait,” De Jongh explained. “Because the stage had been shortened by 30 kilometres, it was only a short distance to the intermediate sprint. That meant we had to adjust our tactics with Mads slightly.”
Pedersen was strong, but not strong enough to make the decisive breakaway. Lidl-Trek were instead represented at the front by Quinn Simmons and Derek Gee-West. “Mads was pretty tired after the intermediate sprint, so you can’t have everything,” De Jongh said. “At that point, you decide not to put him in the breakaway and send two other riders instead.”
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Mads Pedersen
Pedersen and Lidl-Trek briefly considered a sprint finish
With UAE Team Emirates-XRG maintaining a high pace in the peloton, Pedersen nevertheless came back into contention for a leading role in the finale after the breakaway had established itself. Lidl-Trek watched the gap to the leaders fall below one minute, prompting De Jongh to tell his two riders at the front to stop contributing to the pace. Lidl-Trek then began chasing from the peloton alongside Netcompany INEOS.
“We wanted to disrupt the breakaway at the front, but as we approached the final climb, Mads was not completely confident about his chances,” De Jongh explained. “We continued chasing for a little while, but when the gap stopped coming down, we ended the pursuit. There wasn’t really enough cooperation in the peloton either. Our riders at the front could not follow on the final climb, however, so the decision to tell them to wait was not a difficult one.”
Gee-West and Simmons both produced another powerful pull at the front of the peloton, but it was no longer enough to change the situation for Pedersen. Gee-West quickly emptied the tank, while Simmons had already spent considerable energy attacking from the breakaway alongside Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Mobility. “He did use up some energy there, but we were trying to create a more favourable situation at the front,” De Jongh said.
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Quinn Simmons
Mixed feelings for Pedersen
It therefore became a day of mixed emotions for Pedersen and Lidl-Trek. The Dane secured another 25 points in his pursuit of the green jersey, but the team had also hoped to challenge for the stage victory. “It’s a mixture of emotions,” Pedersen said. “In the end, we did everything we could to make the breakaway, but it was an incredibly strong group and it simply wasn’t possible.”
“I picked up some good points today,” the Dane continued. “It would have been nice to fight for the victory, but it wasn’t my day, and we can be satisfied with collecting a decent number of points.” Pedersen acknowledged that he had doubts about his legs as the race approached the final climb, leaving him uncertain about which tactics Lidl-Trek should adopt.
“I don’t know why Mads was doubting himself. It was simply a very hard day as well,” De Jongh said. Pedersen added: “It was a battle with myself on the steepest climb of the day. I managed to ride at my own pace and make it back. Overall, I’m heading into the rest day with a good feeling. Bring on next week!”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- No teammates on the Tourmalet. Too fast up the Tourmalet.
merganzer10-07-2026 - Reef is whistling past the graveyard by denying what was plain to see: Tadej crushed Jonas, beating him in the ascent and, even more decisively on the descent, where most of the gap was created. In the world of reality, rather than the fantsay that Reef related, Jonas will not become a better descender between now and Paris, and Tadej won't get less adept at the skill. Moreover, it wasn't only about the mano y mono, between the two Tour leaders, but the unraveling of Visma, and the dominance of UAE, especially IDT. Barring injury or some other anomalous occurrence, we'll look back at Tadej's win on stage six as the day he won the 2026 TDF.rjb10-07-2026
- Remco continues alternating between Dr. Jekyl and, as he did today post-race, Mr. Hyde, lashing out as others for not racing according to his preferences. This isn't the first time he's complained about opponents' tactics, but it's the first time I've heard him do it to a teammate, and that lack of discretion and team loyalty may come back to haunt him. I though he'd outgrown these childish pouts; obviously, I was mistaken.rjb10-07-2026
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
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