Mads Pedersen is six wins behind by mid-February and missing important new teammate, but Lidl-Trek isn’t worried

Pedersen tried to continue for another two days in his first race of the year, but after finishing in 129th and 141st place, he had to abandon the race. Ultimately, that was the right decision, as his team did not start on day three due to the safety issues in the race in the south of France.

Exactly one week later, the Lidl-Trek team captain was back at the start in the south of France, where his team took firm control of the race on day one. They did so without the services of Soren Kragh Andersen, who did not have the best start to his time with Lidl-Trek due to a back problem and had to withdraw from the French race. After lead-out Ryan Gibbons could not pull through to the preferred point, Pedersen came too early in the wind and was out-sprinted by a few other riders. He finished fifth in the day's results.

"When the peloton disintegrated into several groups, we probably approached it incorrectly," sports director Michael Schär shared with DirectVélo. "Bauke Mollema and Julien Bernard had already put in a lot of work, so we had to use Toms Skujins earlier than planned. In the end, we lacked speed in the sprint. Last year, we won a lot in both Besseges and Provence, but now the competition also knows that we are here in good condition and with ambition."

Good condition is relative to the team leader, Schär realizes. "Mads was sick in Besseges, and he had two or three brutal days, but after that, he could train well again before he started in Provence. His condition may have deteriorated a little, but he handled the hills well and sprinted well. So, he is still in good shape."

Winner Sam Bennett was undoubtedly happy with his first win of the season for the Decathlon AG2R Team. "We came here to take our first win of the season, and we succeeded. We knew it would be a tough battle, but the team did a fantastic job. I overcame the difficult moments and had some advantage from the headwind on most climbs. I have my teammates to thank for that, and I'm glad I could repay them with a win."

Lukas Kubis finished second in the opening stage for Unibet Tietema Rockets. At the same time, Marijn van den Berg for EF Education-EasyPost encountered the same fate as Pedersen in the final sprint and finished sixth. The Tour de la Provence, where Pedersen is the defending champion, continues through Sunday in France.