"To be beaten by a monster, that's okay" - Mads Pedersen does not rue being beaten by Mathieu van der Poel
Cycling
Mads Pedersen is a man that has shown stellar form over the past month, but an illness around Milano-Sanremo threatened to spoil his plans for the spring. Such doubts were erased today at the E3 Saxo Classic, but not even the very best version of the Danish classics specialist was enough to match a Mathieu van der Poel in his prime.
“I'm very happy. Today I had good legs, and this is the best result ever for me in this race. And to be beaten by a monster, that's okay," Pedersen said in a post-race interview. The Lidl-Trek man himself was the one to kick off the action in the Taaienberg with still 80 kilometers to go, taking with him Mathieu van der Poel - and later on Filippo Ganna who bridged across. The Dane looked spectacular on the climbs and looked like he could be a proper match for van der Poel as was the case at last year's Gent Wevelgem.
However when the moment came for the Alpecin rider to attack, Pedersen did not have the legs to respond. At the Paterberg he led the way, but in the Oude Kwaremont van der Poel's pace was too high, and he then rode solo all the way to the finish in Harelbeke.
"He went on the Kwaremont and rode really hard there, from the foot. There I couldn't keep his wheel anymore. He's incredibly good and it was impossible to come back. I had no answer to that anymore," he admits.
However the Dane, defending champion at Gent Wevelgem, will have the opportunity to turn the tables around and turn this form into a big win in this spring season... Dwars door Vlaanderen will be another opportunity, but with this form he will be a proper victory contender for both Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix despite the confirmed presence of all three of his main rivals.
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Direction 👉 podium! #E3SaxoClassic pic.twitter.com/nVPIyKNQTX
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) March 28, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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