As mentioned though, whilst reigning, two-time champion Mathieu van der Poel is arguably the pre-race favourite, a lot of eyes are focused on race debutant, world champion Tadej Pogacar. When it comes to fighting up against these two bona fide superstars, Pedersen is incredibly confident, especially on his kind of course like in Roubaix.
To prove this point, Pedersen confidently predicts Pogacar won't be able to drop him on the cobbles. “If I believed that, I’d be better off staying at home,” he explains. “So the answer has to be 'no.' But with Pogacar, you never really know. He’s such a strong rider and can go insanely fast. But I think I’m good enough to follow him. In the Tour of Flanders, Pogacar had a slight advantage on the climbs because we’re a bit heavier. That won’t be a factor on Sunday.”
One of the big advantages to Pedersen, could be the immense strength of the Lidl-Trek team. “With
Jasper Stuyven and
Jonathan Milan, we’ve got more cards to play. That lets us put some pressure on the other teams,” he explains, although does mean Pedersen isn't the outright team leader. “There’s so much that can happen in Paris-Roubaix. It’d be crazy to appoint just one team leader.”