Søren Kragh Andersen on Pedersen vs Van der Poel: 'Mads is much more inclusive'
Søren Kragh Andersen has been close enough to see two very different types of leadership up close. After two seasons riding in support of Mathieu van der Poel at Alpecin, the Dane now finds himself in Mads Pedersen’s orbit at Lidl Trek, and he says the contrast is clear even if the level is the same.
In an interview with Feltet.dk, the 31-year old Lidl-Trek rider explains that both riders are obvious stars on the bike, but that their day to day approach around the team does not look alike. With Pedersen, he describes a leader who pulls people in, shares the thinking, and makes the group feel like part of the plan rather than just part of the job.
“Mads is much more inclusive. He involves me and all the other riders around him in his project, and what he thinks about planning and training. He builds it up in a different way,” Kragh said.
Kragh’s time at Alpecin, from 2023 to 2025, gave him a front row seat to Van der Poel’s biggest days, including victories at Milan San Remo in 2023, Paris Roubaix in 2023 and 2024, and the Tour of Flanders in 2024.
That experience shapes how he describes the Dutchman now. Van der Poel still relies on teammates, he stresses, but the relationship is more focused on race day itself. “Whereas Van der Poel of course needs us, but only on the day of the race, and then the rest of the time is a bit irrelevant to him. He had his own setup.”
With Pedersen, the dynamic is shaped by something else too. Kragh has known him for years, long before WorldTour buses and media days. That history makes the relationship more personal, and Kragh admits it colours how he sees his current leader.
“Mads is a mate, both because we have known each other since we were kids, but also because of how he is here on the team. I do not think there is a single rider here who would not say he is a mate, so it makes it a bit different.”
Asked whether that means he feels more valued now than he did at Alpecin, Kragh does not want to push the comparison too far. He says he would not put it that way, and he returns to the idea that working for Van der Poel was also an experience because it was so particular and it did not follow the usual template.
Kragh has still not had the chance to ride the spring classics alongside Pedersen, having missed them this year due to a saddle sore. In 2026, the expectation is that he will be part of Lidl-Trek's classic core in order to support Pedersen in his hunt for his first Monument.
Join our WhatsApp service
Be first to know. Subscribe to Domestique on WhatsApp for free and stay up to date with all the latest from the world of cycling.
