Battered Mads Pedersen keeps courage for Flanders: “We will take our responsibility”

Interview Mads Pedersen was involved in the serious crash in Dwars Door Vlaanderen on Wednesday. While his teammate Jasper Stuyven and Wout van Aert were unable to complete the Tour of Flanders with broken bones, the Dane is there. “Of course I’m not 100% and that is necessary to win, but you never know,” he tells CyclingFlits.

With the lost leader of Visma | Lease a Bike and the man in form of Lidl-Trek, many people assume that Alpecin-Deceuninck will have to carry the race on Sunday. However, Pedersen – who as always had no lack of self-confidence – had good news for the Belgian formation. “We are not going to race differently as we have done in the last few races. Lidl-Trek will take responsibility. I can’t imagine that we won’t have at least one rider in the peloton.”

First of all: how are you?
“I’ve seen better days, let’s put it that way. When you hit the ground at that speed, it’s always painful. It’s not ideal preparation for Sunday, but it could have been worse. I could now also have been lying on an operating table in a hospital, like two of my teammates (in addition to Stuyven, also Alex Kirch, ed.) or opponents. So I’m quite happy that I can still race on Sunday.”

Pedersen during the online press conference – photo: screenshot

How did you sleep the last few nights and how do you feel about going to De Ronde?
“You never sleep well after a fall like this. My body hurts. You feel it in your underwear, when you pull the covers off you in bed, it just hurts. I also know that it won’t be fixed in three days. My body isn’t going to be perfect on Sunday. I appear at the start with a different mindset than before my fall. I know that if you want to win the Tour of Flanders, you have to be 100%. I have to be honest: after the fall, I am not that now. But on the other hand: nothing is impossible. And if everything goes my way, it’s still possible to win.

It’s going to be a bit of a 50-50 decision as to which way the match goes. Today (Friday, ed.) I cycled outside. I fell to my knees, my elbows and then rolled across the road. The bruises are everywhere, but luckily not on my back. And I’m a back sleeper, so actually my nights have been good as far as that goes. It is what it is.”

A number of insiders expect war before the early flight on Sunday. Are you afraid of that given the state of your body after that fall?
“The flight can always go far in Flanders. But I’m not afraid of that. Visma | Lease a Bike still wants to win the race. Matteo Jorgenson who drives really well and Tiesj Benoot is flying. Alpecin-Deceuninck has Mathieu, of course. It is not the case that Wout and Jasper are not there, that the flight can now win the race. Our team still has riders to control the race and the other two teams have at least one of them too. I am 100% convinced that the early flight will go really far and we will certainly encounter a surprise in the final. But I am also sure that if you write down five names for the top 5, they will actually compete for the win.”

Pedersen before the start in Dwars Door Vlaanderen – photo: Cor Vos

Is the pressure to remain in control on Sunday only at Alpecin-Deceuninck, or also at Lidl-Trek and Visma | Lease a Bike?
“Of course we take our chances in the race. Regarding responsibility: I am not the one who makes the tactical plan, that is what we have team leaders for. But I don’t believe we can sit back and say that other teams should get on with it. Even without you making the big headline that Lidl-Trek is going to help chase it down, I would be surprised if we don’t put anyone at the head of the pack.”

As a team you were perhaps the strongest block in the last few classics and drove aggressively. Will that change next Sunday due to Wednesday’s fall?
“No. I don’t think it would be smart of us to change the way we race now. We have found a very good rhythm, we also enjoy riding this way. It would be a mistake to keep a low profile and just hope that the price will go our way. We want to do what we want. We’re going to make a plan for that. We’re going to try to run our own race and then we’ll see how my body reacts. And don’t forget Toms Skujins. He has also been in very good form over the last week, so we still have good cards to play with.”

Mathieu said: without Wout van Aert it is not easier for me. How is that for you?
“To be honest, I haven’t thought about it much. I always take it one course at a time, one day at a time. Thursday was not an easy day and it was all about recovery. Basically it is the same recipe for today (Friday, ed.). That’s why I haven’t thought about how the course could change now. But I do know one thing for sure, pardon my words: it is a f***ing tough match and not just because I have a few bruises. Riders will try to anticipate, which will give us an early start.”

Pedersen with teammate and friend Stuyven – photo: Cor Vos

And how great is Jasper’s loss?
“It is a pain in the ass that we lost Jasper and Alex. Alex is also super important as a helper, especially for positioning. He knows these roads so, so well. Of course we have Tim Declercq, Otto Vergaerde and Edward Theuns, who, so to speak, drive on these roads every day. But one extra person would have been nice. And Jasper… I really feel for him. He had found his top form again and was showing such good signs in the run-up to this match. Jappe didn’t deserve to be lying there on the road with a broken collarbone. Just like Wout, by the way. Myself and our team, we will miss Jasper enormously.”

What will you take with you from your victory in Gent-Wevelgem, which can help you on the next two Sundays?
“I’m happy with that of course, I won a classic. I appreciate being able to ride in that final with and against Mathieu. It was super beautiful, I really enjoyed it – even though it was super, super heavy. It also takes the pressure off a bit. Of course it’s not a Monument yet, but given Wednesday’s fall, I decided to get that classic anyway. Of course I still have to perform in De Ronde, of course everyone in the team expects me to fight for the win. But we also know that I can be 100% ready for Paris-Roubaix next week. We are just going to try to ride the Tour of Flanders on the wave we created from the E3 Saxo Classic.”