Mads Pedersen will ride for Lidl-Trek for "the rest of his professional career", it was announced on Wednesday morning. The Dane said it was an "easy" decision.
The 29-year-old, the current pink jersey wearer at the Giro d'Italia, was understood to be out of contract at the end of 2025, but has resigned forever with his American squad.
He follows Wout van Aert and Marianne Vos in signing 'lifetime contracts'; both of these riders signed for Visma-Lease a Bike indefinitely.
Pedersen joined Lidl-Trek, then Trek-Segafredo, in 2017, and has won 52 professional wins since then, including the 2019 World Championships, and stages of the Giro, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España.
"Taking the decision to stay with Lidl-Trek for the remainder of my career was for me quite easy, actually," he said in a press release. "Since I joined in 2017, I always felt super welcome and supported by everyone here. Every time my contract was up for renewal, it was easy to make the decision to stay. Also, because I really like everyone who’s working within the team. Every time it was easy decisions.
"I always had full commitment from the team and they always had confidence in what I was doing, and had confidence in me being the best I can be. When you get that belief from a team manager and the performance group and staff and so on, it’s easy to make the decision to remain with this team. And now we ended up in a situation where I stay here for my whole WorldTour career.
"That’s obviously something I’m really proud of — making a bit of history with Trek. It’s such an honour to have the team’s backing to do this. This team has become like a second family to me, and every time I show up for a race, a training camp, or any team activity, I feel genuinely at home."
This season, Pedersen has been in some of the best form of his career, winning six times, including two stages of the Giro, and Gent-Wevelgem. He was second at the Tour of Flanders and third at Paris-Roubaix; his stated goal is to win a Monument, probably one of this pair, or Milan-San Remo - or all three.
"My hope for my next years of my career is for sure to win this Monument I keep fighting for, and I really believe, with the support from this team, it will be possible within the upcoming years before my career ends," he said. "So, that’s definitely one of my biggest goals for the next years, and in general I just want to win as much as possible, but at the same time I want to be a good leader and try to help new riders who are on the way up."
Lidl-Trek's general manager, Luca Guercilena, said: "Seeing Mads grow into the rider he is today has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. From day one, it was clear that he was special. He’s not just a phenomenal talent on the bike; he’s also a leader who inspires those around him. You can see it when he races; he gives everything for the team, and his teammates give everything back.
"I have zero doubt that Mads will keep pushing himself and his teammates until the day he decides to hang up his wheels. His loyalty and dedication to this team have helped to shape the culture of Lidl-Trek, and we’re incredibly proud to have him with us for the long haul."
