"I came to win, to get a top result and I didn't" - Mads Pedersen disappointed to miss out on Paris-Roubaix success

Paris-Roubaix is not usually a race where by the end there are a lot of smiling faces, but instead exhausted expressions and a lot of dust-covered faces. Within the spectrum of emotions felt at the old velodrome is also disappointment for some, including Mads Pedersen who missed out on the final podium despite a strong race to finish off the cobbled classics campaign.

The Lidl-Trek rider suffered a puncture shortly after the race arrived at the first cobbled sector, however that was the only meaningful setback he experienced during the race. Whilst Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Wout Van Aert and Filippo Ganna all experienced badly-timed mechanicals or crashes, the Dane managed to ride a more consistent race alongside the likes of Jasper Stuyven, Stefan Bissegger and Christophe Laporte who also made it into the front group at the Trouée d'Arenberg. Pedersen was in the group, collaborating, and managed to respond to Wout Van Aert's attack on Mons-en-Pévèle - but not Tadej Pogacar's.

He wasn't happy at the finish. "No. I came to win, to get a top result and I didn't, so..." he said in words to Eurosport. The fight for the win was gone, even if Mathieu van der Poel came from behind and increase the pace in the chasing group after the difference had been made.

But Pedersen didn't want to rely on a sprint, the win was gone, and only the final place on the podium which he achieved the previous years was remaining "It comes down to legs you know, I couldn't follow so it's pretty clear what's going on".

Jasper Stuyven attacked for third place behind, whilst the Dane spent a lot of bullets chasing instead of saving it for a sprint. "I had this feeling [others didn't want to sprint against him], I'd rather try to be third and end with nothing than fighting for fourth. I tried, didn't work out today, it is what it is".