Mads Pedersen gained confidence from E3 but "I wouldn’t bombard myself as the top favourite" for Gent Wevelgem

At the E3 Saxo Classic, Mads Pedersen was the rider to blow up the race on the Taaienberg, and was the closest to matching Mathieu van der Poel in the final hour of racing. The Dane sets off for Gent Wevelgem as a big favourite in the absence of the world's best and with a title defense on the line.

“My legs feel pretty good. I had a good day. I took my rest and was able to refuel a bit. I gained confidence from my performance in the E3 Saxo Classic," Pedersen shared with Sporza. “Am I the top favourite for the win? Not really. You can’t compare races with each other. There are many sprinters at the start and many teams will be pushing for a sprint".

"This is a completely different race. So I wouldn’t bombard myself as the top favourite, but I am one of the favourites. I also want to win the race, but I am certainly not the only rider.” However after the performance he put here last year, and the form he's shown over the past weeks, he can certainly makes moves on the Kemmelberg once again to make the difference.

The strong tailwind in the final kilometers will benefit attackers, and since Lidl-Trek already have Jonathan Milan as an option in case it comes back to a sprint, the Dane will certainly be in position to attack if he has the legs to do so.

Pedersen seems to be the designated rider within the Lidl-Trek team to finish it off, but the American formation has several aces up its sleeve. “We can play a card for every situation, with Jonathan (Milan, ed.), Jasper (Stuyven, ed.) and Toms (Skujins, ed.)," he argues.

“So we have good cards to play with. I think these sunny conditions are fine, as long as there is wind and we get echelons. A team like UAE Emirates XRG certainly won’t want to wait for a sprint. That’s a possible good ally.”