‘It already looks really difficult’ – Injured Mads Pedersen not yet admitting defeat about Spring Classics return despite significant challenges

Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen is refusing to give up on his Spring Classics campaign for 2026 after breaking his collarbone in a bad crash in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, but the signs are currently anything but good.

The former World Champion has always been a major player in the Classics in recent years, with three victories in Gent-Wevelgem in his palmarès as well as multiple podiums in both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, including second in Flanders and third in Roubaix last year.

However, speaking for the first time since his accident on his Lang Distance podcast, in comments reported by Ekstra Bladet the Lidl-Trek racer said his current predicament was far from ideal.

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“It already looks really difficult. All it takes is one more setback,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen also described what actually happened in the crash itself in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, which he said happened on a descent on a left-hand bend, falling a metre onto a stone fence and going over the bars.

Although there were initial fears that he might have broken his back, the final diagnosis was a broken collarbone and fractured wrist.

He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery, and posted an Instagram story just over a week ago giving an update on his progress. The video showed his bandaged wrist as he rode on the indoor trainer, with Pedersen posting the caption ‘Reminder: enjoy the small steps forward’.

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According to the Ekstra Bladet report, Paris-Nice – where Pedersen has taken three stages in his career and won the green jersey in 2025 – is no longer viable, Milan-San Remo may not be possible and there are question marks on the remaining Classics.

“If there’s one more kick in the nuts, it might be impossible,” Pedersen added.

“But I have to try, both for my own sake and for the boys around me. I have to try to make it work.”