Again Mads Pedersen wins ‘his’ classic – but does he also have a chance against Van der Poel and Pogacar?

Of course he knew in all his joy immediately afterwards that one question came. Mads Pedersen had just won the 87th edition Gent-Wevelgem, after a solo of 56 kilometers. The third time that he won the Flemish classic, his fiftieth professional victory moreover. « Crazy », as Danish called the 2019 world champion it himself, nothing to argue. But what will it be worth next week in the Tour of Flanders, if Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar do participate?

« I don’t know that, that is a different competition, » the 29-year-old leader of Lidl-Trek first laughed in the camera of the Belgian TV channel Sporza. But then he came to the heart of the core and went into the comparison with the two best riders of the moment. « Van der Poel and Pogacar are at a different level. We saw that in the E3, where Van der Poel just drove me off at the Oude Kwaremont. And it is also known that he is a fairly good rider. »

No measure on Van der Poel

Pedersen referred to two days earlier, when he also delivered a top performance in the E3 Saxo Classic. Almost a minute before the Italian top rider Filippo Ganna he crossed the finish line in Harelbeke on Friday, the rest followed even greater behind. But on the old Kwaremont, Pedersen had noticed that there is no size on Van der Poel.

The Dutchman, still spit on the way by a spectator, won what is called the ‘Kleine Tour of Flanders’ after a solo of forty kilometers with a 1.05 minute ahead of his Danish rival. « At a certain point I just couldn’t keep his wheel anymore, » said Pedersen on Friday afterwards. « Being defeated by a monster, that’s okay. »

Van der Poel and Pogacar were missing on Sunday in Gent-Wevelgem. They focus on the monumental classics Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, where Pogacar is starting at the cobblestones for the first time. Competitions to look forward to, with their beautiful (won by Van der Poel) Duel in Milan-Sanremo still fresh in the memory. Van der Poel has already won three times in Flanders and can become a record winner on Sunday. « I will definitely have a good shape to beat Pogacar, » he said after his victory in the E3 Classic. And the rest, does it still participate?

« Fairly impressive, » Van der Poel called the performance of Pedersen in the E3 Classic on Friday. In Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday the Dane added another scoop. He showed himself the strongest on all major passages. In the nuts, where the wind spread the peloton, Pedersen rode in the front fan. At the first passage of the Kemmelberg he gave the pace. And on the Plugstreets, in the decor of the First World War, he drove away from the rest on the gravel. In his wheel, Jasper Philipsen solved with a flat tire and Olav Kooij fell hard.

‘It could also have been shit’

Already for the second time Kemmelberg had all the early refugees walked in and in the climb he finally left everyone behind. Then to walk further in the last 56 kilometers on his own. « At a certain point you will come to a point that there is no way back, » he said afterwards. « It could also have ended in shit. »

But on the line, the Dane had almost a minute left from his lead on the front part of the peloton, of which the Belgian Tim Merlier won the sprint for Jonathan Milan, teammate of Pedersen.

With three victories in Gent-Wevelgem, Pedersen is now a co-record holder with Peter Sagan and Eddy Merckx, among others.

But what it says for next week, to Van der Poel and Pogacar? « Of course I give confidence and I believe that I can win. But it won’t be simple. »

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