Mads Pedersen

Mads Pedersen (born 18 December 1995) is a Danish professional road cyclist known for his versatile strength in one-day classics and fast finishing kick. He rides for UCI WorldTeam Lidl–Trek and rose to prominence by winning the 2019 UCI Road World Championship road race, becoming the first Danish man to claim that title. A powerful all-rounder, Pedersen has since captured victories in both classics and Grand Tours - including stage wins in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España, as well as multiple Gent–Wevelgem titles. His blend of endurance, sprint speed, and cobbled racing prowess has established him as one of the leading classics specialists of his generation.

Pedersen was born in the small town of Tølløse, Denmark. As a child he tried football and badminton, but his competitive temperament led him to cycling by age ten after his father bought him a bike. He quickly took to racing and joined a local youth club, developing his talent on Denmark’s junior circuit. Growing up in a country with a rich cycling culture, Pedersen showed early promise and set his sights on becoming a professional from a young age.

As a teenager, Pedersen delivered standout results in junior and under-23 competition. In 2013 he won the Paris–Roubaix Juniors, a prestigious cobbled classic for juniors, and took silver in the junior road race at the World Championships. He continued to shine in the U23 ranks, scoring victories such as Ghent–Wevelgem U23 and a stage win at the Tour de l’Avenir (the premier U23 stage race). These achievements against top young riders marked him as one of Denmark’s most promising cycling talents.

Pedersen turned professional in 2014 at age 18, starting with smaller Danish teams before moving up to the WorldTour. Trek–Segafredo signed him for 2017, and he has remained with the Trek organisation (now Lidl–Trek) ever since. He made an immediate impact as a neo-pro: in 2017 he won the Danish national road race title and the overall Tour of Denmark. His breakthrough came in 2018 when he finished second in the Tour of Flanders – at 22, becoming the youngest podium finisher in that Monument in roughly 40 years. That audacious Flanders ride confirmed his potential as a future classics star.

In September 2019, Pedersen achieved a landmark victory by winning the UCI Road World Championships elite men’s road race in Yorkshire, England. In a cold, rain-soaked race, the 23-year-old Dane out-sprinted Italy’s Matteo Trentin and Switzerland’s Stefan Küng to claim the rainbow jersey. This made Pedersen the first male Danish rider to win a world road title, instantly elevating him to cycling’s elite. The triumph brought him global recognition and the coveted rainbow jersey for 2020. It also cemented his leadership status within his team and proved that a relatively young rider from Denmark could conquer one of the sport’s biggest prizes.

In 2020, wearing the rainbow jersey, Pedersen won Gent–Wevelgem. 2022 brought his first Tour de France stage win and a dominant showing at the Vuelta a España, where he took three stage victories and the green points jersey. In 2023, he added stage wins in both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, completing stage victories in all three Grand Tours. He carried strong form into 2024, winning Gent–Wevelgem again and finishing third in Paris–Roubaix. Early 2025 saw Pedersen claim a third Gent–Wevelgem title, finish second at the Tour of Flanders, and win the points classification in the Giro d’Italia. By mid-2025, at age 29, his palmarès featured a world title, numerous classics wins, and ten Grand Tour stage victories - underlining his status as one of the premier one-day riders and most versatile sprinters in cycling.

Mads Pedersen is a powerful classics specialist who excels on cobbled, hilly courses and often thrives in cold or wet conditions. He combines great endurance with sprint speed - capable of long solo attacks and also fast in reduced-group sprints after grueling races. He has learned to balance his aggressive racing style with tactical patience, and his grit and consistency make him a formidable competitor in any one-day race.

Mads Pedersen is down-to-earth and family-oriented. He married his longtime partner Lisette in 2019, and he remains close with his family in Denmark - even helping his father open a bicycle shop and encouraging his younger brother’s cycling pursuits. Despite his success, Pedersen is known to be humble and approachable, enjoying a normal life at home when he’s off the bike.

• First Danish men’s road race world champion
• Stage wins in all three Grand Tours
• Multiple Grand Tour points jerseys
• Three Gent–Wevelgem victories (2020, 2024, and 2025)

Mads Pedersen remains ambitious for the years ahead. A top priority is winning a Monument classic - having come close in Flanders and Roubaix - and he also aims to claim the Tour de France green jersey to add to his points titles from other Grand Tours.