Jasper Stuyven boosts Mads Pedersen: "Don’t write him off just yet"

Mads Pedersen broke his wrist and collarbone in a crash during the opening stage of the Ster van Bessèges 2026. The broken wrist in particular seems likely to hamper a strong classics campaign this spring, in which the 30-year-old Dane from Lidl-Trek had hoped to finally win a monument. These concerns are shared by former teammate and friend Jasper Stuyven, but he remains hopeful in an Sporza article.

Just five days after his crash, Pedersen was already back on the rollers on his balcony. With his forearm thickly wrapped in a splint, he got his legs turning again for the first time. "That’s typical of cyclists," says Stuyven, who moved this winter from Lidl-Trek to Soudal-Quick-Step. "After a fall, most riders want to get back on the bike as soon as possible. You might try to move a bit on the rollers against your will. And then you just hope it goes okay."

Training on the rollers doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. Mathew Hayman broke his elbow in the 2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad but was still able to train at home on the rollers. A little over six weeks later, he won Paris-Roubaix. "Training on the rollers is very efficient in terms of workload. You can complete intervals very precisely. If you have the mental strength for it, roller training can definitely be a good transitional period after an injury," says Stuyven.

He also believes Pedersen will ‘just be there’ for the most important races in early April. "Mads was originally going to do a high-altitude camp up to Paris-Nice, but that’s now off. But if his recovery goes smoothly... What will be crucial for him is when he can really start putting load on his wrist in training again. That will largely determine how fit he starts his spring season. But Mads is definitely not someone you should write off just yet."