Mads Pedersen feared career was over after crash before rapid return

The former world champion’s 2026 season had barely begun when a violent crash at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in early February left him lying face down in the bushes, unable to push himself up.

What followed was a blur of pain and uncertainty. “The doctor immediately thought I had broken my neck or back,” Pedersen said on the Half Wheeling podcast. “They put a neck brace on straight away.”

His mechanic, Jeroen Heymans, was among the first to reach him and recalled the scene as chaotic and frightening. Pedersen was in visible agony, shouting through the pain, and asked for his wife to be called.

Inside the team car, concern quickly turned to something more serious. Lidl-Trek sports director Mikey Schar said the first question was simple but crucial: could Pedersen move his legs?

When he could, it brought a measure of relief. But the ambulance ride that followed told a different story. “It was emotional,” Pedersen said. "It was quite an emotional ride. I remember telling Mikey [Schar]: 'Look, if my back is broken, I'm not coming back from this and cycling is not for me anymore."

The journey to the hospital took around 90 minutes, long enough for doubts to settle in. Only there did the situation become clear. Pedersen had escaped the worst. No damage to his back or neck, only fractures to his collarbone and wrist.

Within hours, he was back with his team, walking into the hotel dining room with his arm in a cast and, characteristically, a smile.

“It was a typical Mads moment,” Schar said. “That is who he is.”

The recovery timeline initially pointed to a lengthy spell on the sidelines, around 12 weeks. Instead, Pedersen was back racing in just six. 

Earlier, the Dane had already spoken candidly about his recovery on the Middle of Lidl-Trek podcast.

“I could not wipe my ass, mate. My left wrist was broken and I was in a cast up to above my elbow. And my right collarbone was broken so it was in a sling. I could not poop for five days. It was a tough birth when it finally happened.”

Mads Pedersen eventually returned to racing at Milan-Sanremo, finishing fourth and winning the sprint from the peloton behind Tadej Pogačar, Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert.

After racing the E3 Saxo Classic, he hit another setback when illness disrupted his preparation, forcing him to miss Gent-Wevelgem. He returned at the Tour of Flanders, where he finished fifth, just behind the other riders from the so called Big Five.

That promising result was followed by another strong performance at Paris-Roubaix. When the decisive move came, he was just unable to follow Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar, eventually crossing the line in seventh place.

With his spring campaign now behind him, the focus shifts fully to the Tour de France. There, he will target stage wins and aim for the green jersey, hoping to keep it within the team after Jonathan Milan secured the points classification last year.