Mads Pedersen confident he can beat Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert at Tour of Flanders: "in Gent-Wevelgem we saw a way how we can do that"

Mads Pedersen's win at Gent Wevelgem means more than just his first big classics win in several years, but also gives him a big favourite status ahead of the Tour of Flanders. After Lidl-Trek's brilliant performance, the American team can aim as high as all other teams this upcoming weekend.

“I didn't want to try it (to drop van der Poel at the Kemmelberg, ed.). First of all, I don't believe I would even be able to do that. Secondly, if I could drop him, I'm sure he would straighten up, wait for the peloton and ride there with the whole team to get me back," Pedersen said in an interview with Wielerflits. "That made no sense. I was certainly at the limit, and I hope it was the same for him.”

Pedersen resisted the crosswinds and the attacks of van der Poel up the first time up the Kemmelberg, but knowing there would be a peloton behind afterwards, he admits that he was actually not trying to drop the World Champion when he forced the pace up the ascent dropping Laurence Pithie in the meantime.

Pedersen then worked together with van der Poel and outsprinted him at the finale. This may have been a result of the work his rival had to do earlier on chasing Jonathan Milan who put in the ride of his life in Flanders. The team also had Jasper Stuyven - second at the E3 Saxo Classic - well present to play as a card, but the Belgian dropped out of contention due to a puncture.

"Mathieu is one of the biggest stars in the race. And without criticizing my own team, none of us are at that level. So if we want to beat riders like him or Wout van Aert or Tadej Pogacar, we have to do that with several teammates," Pedersen says as the American team perhaps takes up the role of Team Visma | Lease a Bike who have not collectively managed to thrive in these two races. "We have to put pressure on them, and I think in Gent-Wevelgem we saw a way how we can do that."

He will enter Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders as a major candidate for victory. “A win always gives confidence, that's for sure. But I also know that the Tour of Flanders is a completely different race. And a very tough one for me," he admits however.

"Of all the classics, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix suit me best. Especially because there are not many elevation meters in the course here. But it does give the necessary confidence for the Tour of Flanders. I really hope for a good result. Last year I was third, but that was very far from the winner," he concluded.