"I think I’m strong enough to follow him" - Mads Pedersen confident Tadej Pogacar won't be able to drop him on Paris-Roubaix cobbles

Mads Pedersen's ultimate dream of a Monument win comes to the fore once again this Sunday as the Dane heads to Paris-Roubaix 2025 as one of the real riders to watch. If the Lidl-Trek leader is to take the victory though, he must first get past the likes of defending champion Mathieu van der Poel and Rainbow Jersey Tadej Pogacar.

“Paris-Roubaix is definitely the classic I most want to win," begins the 29-year-old in pre-Paris-Roubaix quotes collected by Sporza, having finished 4th in 2023 and 3rd in 2024 at the 'Hell of the North'. "Why? I just love the race, and I always feel good there.”

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.”