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"
Cycling
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.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
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