Unwell Mads Pedersen will miss Gent-Wevelgem

More bad luck has struck at the heart of Lidl-Trek as Mads Pedersen has been forced to withdraw his name from the startlist of 'In Flanders Fields – From Middelkerke to Wevelgem', previously known as Gent-Wevelgem, a race the Dane has won three times including in 2025.

"I have some sad news regarding the race tomorrow, In Flanders Fields: I won't take the start due to sickness," Pedersen said in a video posted on Instagram. "I was dealing with a cold the last few days, and it definitely also affected the race yesterday in E3 [where he finished 9th – ed.], so the team and the medical staff took a decision for me not to race and keep the focus on the coming week.

"So yeah, this has nothing to do with the wrist, the wrist is definitely moving forward and it's a lot better than we expected. My muscles around the wrist and in the arm are sore, of course, due to lack of movement for four or five weeks, but that's completely normal, so no worries about the wrist, it's all due to sickness. So in the end, I wish my teammates all the best tomorrow and I hope Jonny can take the victory with number 1 on the back."

Tim Torn Teutenberg has been drafted in as a replacement in a Lidl-Trek team that is now fully committed to Jonathan Milan, albeit with a strong team in support that includes in-form Edward Theuns and Mathias Vacek.