Mads Pedersen: "It is clear that I cannot just follow and wait for what Van der Poel and Pogacar are going to do"
Cycling
Mads Pedersen is on extraordinary form and is perhaps favourite number three for the Tour of Flanders. However, he can still benefit from the pressure that will be on Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel's shoulders, but he must make the difference against them outside of the climbs.
“I am one of the outsiders for a good result. I am happy that they are here. They provide extra attention," the Lidl-Trek leader said in a press conference. The American team has experienced some bad luck and may not have the depth it had expected, but Pedersen himself should be able to carry the team to a strong result.
A very strong E3 Saxo Classic saw him ride to second, and last Sunday he soloed to an incredible victory at Gent Wevelgem, completely unmatched by the competition. "I won Gent Wevelgem without Mathieu and Tadej. So this will be a completely different race. You can hardly compare the two. I am doing my best and want the best possible result.”
Now in Flanders however the difficulty level is higher, but most importantly he will face two riders who are better climbers, are also in great form, and have virtually no weak spot. Going head-to-head against them will make it hard for him to take a win.
“Attacking early? For some, that is the right tactic. But the big favorites also attack earlier and earlier. Attacking too early is pointless. I can’t attack at 140 kilometers, that is pointless. It all depends on how the race will go," he shares.
"In any case, I will follow my instinct. But it is clear that I cannot just follow and wait for what Van der Poel and Pogacar are going to do," Pedersen anticipates however. "We have already seen that they are better climbers than I am. So I will have to do something. But I am not going to say that now.”
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We have some strong beers in the Lidl-Trek café this Sunday for De Ronde! Enjoy responsibly 🍻 pic.twitter.com/Et1lxNS4pm
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) April 4, 2025
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- If you do the rounds on non-Anglo commentators you’ll find plenty more, every cycling nation has good and bad ones.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Nathan is one of the best former pros commenting during races - up there with Sean Kelly and Nico Roche imo - McEwen, Blythe, you can keep themCrashjames10-04-2025
- Impressive and surprising, well done. Go for it more often please.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Good choice of profile picture by the way :-)Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Bolt was an outlier, for some people it can’t exist. Funny thing is 3 generations later, a lot of amateurs reach the level the average pro had. Ok, maybe counting from today it might be 5 or 6 generations because we won’t all have access to the equipment and staff and assistance pros now need to perform.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Actually, I’ve not noticed that fans have even noticed results are provisional so as far as the sport itself goes, I wouldn’t worry too much. Obviously some riders will miss out on celebrating but then these days, they’re all paid so well that it’s quite a small price to pay. Andy Schleck certainly didn’t get to party like he was used to when he received Alberto’s trophy and titles, nevertheless, he’s in the books and I’m sure he feels like and gets treated like a tdf winner. CATCHING dopers is good for the sport, though at the moment I’d have no idea who to go looking for.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Someone like David Walsh, who was the point person in the Sky Team coverup? When there was money and fame in bringing down Armstrong, he went for that. Then he sold that crusader image to Sky. And then renounced them. The guy has made more money from athletes and doping without ever once competing himself, having to take drugs, or even stand for a single principle. He is no different than Novitzsky, who was pivotal in the Armstrong investigations, and helped put Marion Jones in jail. Now he is full-time in the coverup business for the UFC.
Barney10-04-2025 - Do you think that making results provisional for 10 years makes for good sport? Or in any way remotely fairer, or safer?Barney10-04-2025
- Christian Scaroni, Clément Champoussin, Harold Tejada, Simone Velasco ... Peripheral riders who have failed to make much impression so far in their carrier, suddenly starting to win everywhere, climbing with the best in weekly WT races. Aging riders years after their prime, now seen more often than none at the head of the peloton in the classics. Still, no what is talking about the Chinese candies in the roomBM10-04-2025
- It's easy to dismiss doubters. We need someone like David Walsh who dares to ask the hard question. In the mean time, I wouldn't worry too much about Tadej. Whether he dopes or not, at least, he's not a terrible person like LA Doper.
KerisVroom10-04-2025