The Mad Mads Pedersen Thread

[HashRouge]

Crashes are rubbish whenever they happen, but particularly so this early in the season and at such an innocuous race.

 

[Netserk]

normally its likely he wont even be ready for roubaix

but too soon to say when its so far out and we dont know the nature of the fracture

 

[hayneplane]

A real shame. Always comes across well and one of the few that can even make MVDP break into a sweat on the cobbles so the non-monument classics will be poorer for his highly likely absence.

 

[James M]

Bummer. Key now will be kind of fracture and how long he’ll need to stay off the bike. Problem is anything but 100% and he cant be truly relevant anyway vs MvdP, he cant afford many days off the bike with the time he got now.

I feel for him hes really trying and better than ever last year like truly good, *** luck.

 

[acm]

Meh, what a shame

 

[Alien Performance]

was hoping he would help make roubaix interesting this year, hope it's not as bad as it seems

 

[red_flanders]

This sport is so brutal to follow! Sucks.

As an aside, and I'm genuinely curious and really don't want to start an argument about this, but for those who don't like Mads...why? I can't figure it. Guy is hard as nails, great in a variety of terrain, and just keeps getting better. Plus, his attitude is hilarious in interviews. Suffers no fools.

What's not to like?

 

[Squire]

was hoping he would help make roubaix interesting this year, hope it's not as bad as it seems

Mads Hayman.

 

[tobydawq]

This sport is so brutal to follow! Sucks.

As an aside, and I'm genuinely curious and really don't want to start an argument about this, but for those who don't like Mads...why? I can't figure it. Guy is hard as nails, great in a variety of terrain, and just keeps getting better. Plus, his attitude is hilarious in interviews. Suffers no fools.

What's not to like?

I think because he has the audacity to take a pull once in a while when it would perhaps be advisable to not do that.

Everyone else would be chastised for being a wheelsucker in that case but apparently the rules are different for him.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

This sport is so brutal to follow! Sucks.

As an aside, and I'm genuinely curious and really don't want to start an argument about this, but for those who don't like Mads...why? I can't figure it. Guy is hard as nails, great in a variety of terrain, and just keeps getting better. Plus, his attitude is hilarious in interviews. Suffers no fools.

What's not to like?

That's a very easy one to answer. The power dynamics in the classics in this generation are already completely out of whack. Pedersen is just about the only guy who has any hope of challenging Pogacar or Van der Poel in them, but rather than riding in a way that maximises his odds of doing so, he refuses to do anything other than ride with Pogacar and/or Van der Poel because he seems to have this bizarre worldview where beating them only counts if it happens because you're stronger. It's impossible for me to root for someone who simultaneously contributes to the extreme repetitive one-sidedness of the biggest races in the current era while also torpedoing his own chances, for no other reason than his decision to ride like the biggest idiot in the world every single time he faces Pogacar and/or Van der Poel.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I think because he has the audacity to take a pull once in a while when it would perhaps be advisable to not do that.

Everyone else would be chastised for being a wheelsucker in that case but apparently the rules are different for him.

Wheelsucking aliens > usually good
Wheelsucking anyone else > usually bad
Rider who has the most opportunities to wheelsuck aliens > Pedersen

It's not that complicated.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Having said all that, this is still very bad news for the cobbles because between this injury and Van Aert's, the chances of anyone standing up to Pogacar and Van der Poel have gone from unlikely but not unrealistic to statistically insignificant. If those two wanted it, third place would be odds on to finish 5+ minutes down in both Ronde and Roubaix this year. It might well turn out to be the single worst spring of all time...

 

[HashRouge]

Having said all that, this is still very bad news for the cobbles because between this injury and Van Aert's, the chances of anyone standing up to Pogacar and Van der Poel have gone from unlikely but not unrealistic to statistically insignificant. If those two wanted it, third place would be odds on to finish 5+ minutes down in both Ronde and Roubaix this year. It might well turn out to be the single worst spring of all time...

I think we need to hope that Pogacar is closer to challenge MdvP in MSR and Roubaix, and MdvP is closer to challenging Pog in Flanders. Don't even get me started on my van Aert hopium hype train, my heart can't stand the disappointment.

 

[red_flanders]

@tobydawq @Devil's Elbow thanks for the answers.

 

[tobydawq]

Wheelsucking aliens > usually good
Wheelsucking anyone else > usually bad
Rider who has the most opportunities to wheelsuck aliens > Pedersen

It's not that complicated.

Ganna does exactly the same, yet he never gets criticised like that.

And Pedersen even has a sprint that would make Pog and Van der Poel fight for second at the end of a hard race.

 

[YavorD]

Having said all that, this is still very bad news for the cobbles because between this injury and Van Aert's, the chances of anyone standing up to Pogacar and Van der Poel have gone from unlikely but not unrealistic to statistically insignificant. If those two wanted it, third place would be odds on to finish 5+ minutes down in both Ronde and Roubaix this year. It might well turn out to be the single worst spring of all time...

2024 is a very hard bar. Not only in terms of classics, but stage races were horrible as well. TA - boring. PN was somewhat fun, I admit. Catalunya - horrible. Itzulia - very bad for a different reason.

That saud, I'm sad for his injury. Hope that the nature of the fractures isn't too bad.

 

[YavorD]

Ganna does exactly the same, yet he never gets criticised like that.

And Pedersen even has a sprint that would make Pog and Van der Poel fight for second at the end of a hard race.

I wouldn't bet everything on the latter. I might be wrong, but I remember Pogacar beating Petersen a couple of times in a sprint after a hard race.

 

[Netserk]

I think because he has the audacity to take a pull once in a while when it would perhaps be advisable to not do that.

Everyone else would be chastised for being a wheelsucker in that case but apparently the rules are different for him.

i chastise pedersen for not being a wheelsucker and i dont think my rules are different for him. you are very much welcome to show me where i have different rules for others

and you forgot his bad persona

 

[Netserk]

Ganna does exactly the same, yet he never gets criticised like that.

And Pedersen even has a sprint that would make Pog and Van der Poel fight for second at the end of a hard race.

a brief search

Ganna gotta stay on the wheel.

They are gone, podium is secured as they all roll through. Ganna will regret it on the Poggio.

 

[RedheadDane]

and you forgot his bad persona

Bad persona?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Ganna does exactly the same, yet he never gets criticised like that.

And Pedersen even has a sprint that would make Pog and Van der Poel fight for second at the end of a hard race.

I have repeatedly criticised Ganna too. Maybe you need to consider whether your personal biases make you more likely to remember criticism of Pedersen...

It makes even less sense for Pedersen and Ganna to fully commit when you realise they are the only riders with a teammate in G2.

(the below kind of needs the post I quoted to make clear it's about Ganna)

The cycling media has always refused to do anything other than hype up whatever is happening, as much as that's a problem it doesn't make sense to blame the woes of this era on something that's unchanged from previous eras.

I'm sorry, I don't think completely burying yourself to survive Cipressa and Poggio and then having zero left after it counts as having a shot. Ganna was about as likely to win from that situation as Masnada was to win from the situation where he finished second in Lombardia, and not even Ilmaestro is arguing for Masnada here.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

2024 is a very hard bar. Not only in terms of classics, but stage races were horrible as well. TA - boring. PN was somewhat fun, I admit. Catalunya - horrible. Itzulia - very bad for a different reason.

That saud, I'm sad for his injury. Hope that the nature of the fractures isn't too bad.

2024 was awful, but aside from PN it also had pretty to very good editions of GW (the first and only time Pedersen beat VdP, which just so happens to be one of the rare occasions when Lidl used their numbers to put VdP on the defensive - you would think they would have learned), AGR and FW. I honestly think this spring might struggle to reach even that.

 

[YavorD]

2024 was awful, but aside from PN it also had pretty to very good editions of GW (the first and only time Pedersen beat VdP, which just so happens to be one of the rare occasions when Lidl used their numbers to put VdP on the defensive - you would think they would have learned), AGR and FW. I honestly think this spring might struggle to reach even that.

Well, the stage races should be better, the monuments should be beter, unless Pogacar crashes, which will destroy 4 monuments with VdP and Evenepoel basically walking through all of them (yes, if Evenepoel isn't able to challenge Pogacar, it's the same with or without him, but let's say I trust Evenepoel). Admittedly, GW, Amstel and FW might be worse, but overall I'm optimistic.

And if somehow, hopefully, Pedersen and Van Aert are able to appear in a good shape, we may have a decent spring.

 

[tobydawq]

I have repeatedly criticised Ganna too. Maybe you need to consider whether your personal biases make you more likely to remember criticism of Pedersen...

(the below kind of needs the post I quoted to make clear it's about Ganna)

It's not just you and Netserk I refer to, I also see a lot of disproportional hate against Pedersen on Twitter which is definitely not the case for Ganna.

It's like people actually hate Pogacar and Van der Poel and then instead they take it out on Pedersen because they think he should wheelsuck all the time (and yes, I know all your wishes for the season are for all the good riders to disappear).

And Netserk, I somewhat understand the bad persona thing, even if I think you're exaggerating. I also cringe a bit when he is interviewed because he can be a little too impatient and short-tempered if the journalist does not ask the most intelligent questions. And then his practical jokes are definitely not my cup of tea, either. But I don't think he's a bad person and at least he does have some personality which may be a bit missing from the peloton these days.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

It's not just you and Netserk I refer to, I also see a lot of disproportional hate against Pedersen on Twitter which is definitely not the case for Ganna.

Still caring about what people on Twitter say in 2026 is a you problem.