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Mads Pedersen could only bow before Tour of Flanders winner Tadej Pogačar after he suffered a close-up view of the Slovenian’s insane strength.
Lidl-Trek’s powerhouse Dane was among the few riders who could keep up with the world champion Sunday during his dynamo day out in Flanders.
If Pedersen got dropped, he fought to bridge back up and that worked out until the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont at 19km from the finish. Pogacar kicked off once again and this time he rode away solo to the finish.
“Tadej is just incredible in the way he’s riding. He’s just on another level,” Pedersen said in the mixed zone in Oudenaarde shortly after the race.
“This man is the best cyclist in the world, like, ever. Of course, he tries to drop us. We go with everything and we manage to follow. He tries again, we manage to follow but at one point, he’s able to drop us,” Pedersen said. “If it takes two times, or ten times, it doesn’t matter. He wins.”
Pedersen described what he felt when Pogacar powered away on the cobbles of the Oude Kwaremont.
“It’s everything. It’s really, really painful,” Pedersen told reporters. “When Tadej is going, we have one job and that’s trying to minimize the time gap. From there, you’re riding with all you have. It wasn’t enough.”
Find someone who looks at you the way Mads looks at Pogi #RVV25 pic.twitter.com/kGzgMpY2lg
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) April 6, 2025
In the final kilometers towards Oudenaarde, the riders faced a strong headwind and an organized chase seemed to stand a chance against a lone leader.
“Before the race I hoped that with the headwind in the last 8km to the finish, that it would be possible to close a gap if we were in a group behind. We had four guys going with everything we had and it wasn’t possible. Chapeau to Tadej,” Pedersen said.
Lidl-Trek rides a tailwind toward rematch with Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix: ‘This is a boost’
Pedersen gained confidence from his ride in Flanders with an eye on next week’s Paris-Roubaix.
“We’re really happy with the way we rode as a team. To be riding with two guys in the final it’s super magical,” he said. “We’ve been waiting a few years for this. We’re definitely happy for today. The shape is still there. Now we’re looking forward to Roubaix.
“I’m happy that I could follow so many times on the climbs today. It will be harder to make the difference on the flat cobbles. It’s going to be nice. Edward Theuns is in good shape. Jappe, Daantje… Everyone is flying right now,” Pedersen continued.
“Most important is that these guys are not having any accidents on Wednesday in Schelde. Then it’s full focus for Roubaix for the whole team.”
Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek teammate Jasper Stuyven had a unexpectedly sensational ride in De Ronde.
The 32-year-old Belgian rider managed to keep up with the favorites for a very long time and joined team leader Mads Pedersen in the chase group behind Pogačar.
A team performance to be proud of. Let’s finish the cobbled classics in style next week @parisroubaix #SquadOnAMission pic.twitter.com/M0CmhvVisO
— Jasper Stuyven (@Jasperstuyven) April 6, 2025
He survived on the final climbs and then led out the sprint for Pedersen who finished second, with Stuyven claiming fifth place.
“We rode great as a team and I certainly think that UAE wasn’t able to ride the race they had planned. Then again, online an expectation pattern was created that he would win by three minutes and would ride away during the second time over the Kwaremont and we would never see him again,” Stuyven said Sunday.
“That’s something to take with us towards Paris-Roubaix.”
Pogačar has been put on watch.
Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and the Roubaix cobblestones are only the start of his problems for next week’s “Hell of the North.”
