The plan nearly worked, but with 1.2 kilometres to go,
Pedersen got caught out. “I got dropped… Vacek was still in front of me, but it
wasn't worth the fight to find his wheel at all costs.”
Though he positioned himself well out of the final corner,
Pedersen admitted, “I just didn't have the speed to pass them,” referring to
Kooij, Casper van Uden, and third-place surprise Ben Turner. The Dutchman’s win
was set up by a textbook lead-out from Wout van Aert.
“I can't tell you too much about Wout van Aert's lead-out,
but in the end they won and that's what they wanted,” said Pedersen. “It’s hard
to ride finals like this, but I’m happy with the result.”
Despite the frustration, Pedersen was generous in his praise
of Kooij. “For me it is also nice to see opponents win. Of course I like to win
myself, but such a final suits
Olav Kooij perfectly and he deserves it… They
executed it perfectly.”
While a fourth stage win slipped through his fingers,
Pedersen extended his lead in the points classification to 177, with Kooij now
second on 105. “I'm trying to get as many points as possible,” he said.
“Everything I do is with that in mind.”