Mads Pedersen lines up at
Milano-Sanremo today carrying
impressive form, and a point to prove. The former World Champion from Denmark
has built an enviable career, with stage victories across all three Grand
Tours, but the top step of a Monument podium has so far eluded him.
Speaking to Cycling Pro Net ahead of the race, the
Lidl-Trek rider was characteristically honest about his past relationship with
this particular event.
“It is certainly not a love story, San Remo and me. It is a
monument and they are important. Of course I would like to win a monument.
Milan-San Remo is one of those opportunities.”
While it’s often seen as the most unpredictable of cycling’s
five Monuments, that’s also what makes Sanremo so alluring (and so frustrating)
for a rider like Pedersen.
“A lot of people say it’s the easiest race to finish, but
the hardest to win. That’s true. There are so many possible scenarios, even
within our team there are riders who want other scenarios. We can talk about it
for a long time, but we just have to find out.”
He’ll have to beat the likes of Pogacar and Van der Poel if
he is to win, but this could turn out to be the race Pedersen has dreamed of.