“I had to trust on my sprint, but it was Mathieu..." - Mads Pedersen takes second career Gent Wevelgem success

For the second time in his career, Mads Pedersen has tasted success at Gent Wevelgem this Sunday afternoon after overcoming world champion, Mathieu van der Poel in a two-man sprint for victory.

After a dramatic day with plenty of twists and turns, victory came down to Pedersen and van der Poel and although the Dane of Lidl-Trek is the more renowned sprinter of the two, he admits he was far from certain victory would be his in the sprint for the line in Wevelgem.

“I didn't really have much confidence. On the one hand, I had to trust on my sprint, but it was Mathieu..." Pedersen reflects honestly in his post-race interview. "We couldn't attack each other. I had to believe it was good enough but if you look at Mathieu lately, it's just not that easy. It was a gamble. I took the lead, because he would be satisfied with the peloton coming back. Jasper Philipsen was sitting there. I had to keep the pace high.”

In the end, this tactic of staying on the front proved successful for Pedersen and with the Tour of Flanders coming up, it's the perfect time to get a win over the world champion. "The Tour of Flanders is a different race. This race suits me better than Flanders, but the shape is good," Pedersen concludes. " I was already happy after the E3 Saxo Classic and now I also won here. I certainly exude confidence.”