Mads Pedersen doesn't let crash hinder Flanders ambitions: "I still believe that I am better than other years"

Mads Pedersen was one of the many victims of the mass crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen which ended the spring campaign of Wout van Aert and Jasper Stuyven, to name a few. He has not had a few pleasant days but arrives at the Tour of Flanders with high ambitions nevertheless.

“We try to race as we have done before. We miss Jasper [Stuyven] and Alex [Kirsch], but we have a very strong team. We believe we can continue racing as we have been doing," Pedersen told at the start in Antwerp to Sporza. The American team used numbers to win Gent-Wevelgem, it's harder to do it here but Pedersen still headlines a quality block.

He teams up with a very experienced team, and also one that includes quality figures Jonathan Milan - who should also prioritize Paris-Roubaix with Pedersen - and Toms Skujins. The team still hopes, even without two of it's strongest weapons, to race with numbers and try to anticipate the main attacks of the race.

“We think that the race around the Molenberg can be opened. That is not a problem for us. The faster it becomes man-to-man, the better for us. Have my chances changed after my fall in Dwars door Vlaanderen? Naturally," he continues. "It is never ideal to fall for Flanders three days, but all things considered, I still believe that I am better than other years. We'll see how it goes. I hope for the best.”