Pedersen praises 'GOAT' Pogacar: "It's not like we came close"

Pedersen was happy with his second place after a powerful final sprint. "It always feels good to finish on the podium," he said in the flash interview. "In the end, it was pretty convenient that Jasper was there. He knows that I want to sprint at a high speed. There was some doubt with one kilometer to go, and we slowed down considerably. But later, Jasper picked up the pace a little, and with 250 meters to go, I decided it was time. It was enough, so thanks to Jasper for doing a good lead-out. The whole team was very impressive anyway."

Lidl-Trek certainly deserved to be mentioned. But Pogacar was too strong. He came down the Paterberg with a little over 30 seconds in the lead and only increased his lead further on the flat. Pedersen had hoped that the chasers could make a comeback there. "Of course. With 8 kilometers of headwind and four strong men, you wish you could catch him. Before the race, I said it's not over until you cross the finish line. But Tadej is on another level on a day like this. He showed us what he was made of. He left us behind on the Kwaremont: ciao cacao."

Winning would have been difficult anyway, but the Dane has a better chance in Paris-Roubaix. "I hope so. It suits me better, with less climbing. So far, it has been a good classics campaign for me, and I hope I can finish it with a win in Roubaix. Of all the Monuments, that one suits me best. But there are a lot of strong riders there, and they will be the same names as today, and they will be fighting for the win. Nothing is a given; we will be fighting hard again on Sunday."

Lidl-Trek tried putting pressure on the favorites with an aggressive race tactic, in which Daan Hoole played a major role. But in the end, we could do nothing against the world champion. "We optimized our chances of winning, but in the end, Tadej was just that strong; he simply left us behind on the hills. We were beaten by the better man today."

Pedersen was hoping to win the Tour, but he was not disappointed. Pogacar's class makes it easier to accept that winning was not possible. "We just have to take it; he is the GOAT. It's not like we came close. He was just a minute ahead of us. Hats off, he does so much for cycling, and he has a big impact on the sport."

Pedersen will start hunting for a Monument with renewed courage in the Hell of the North, but he will once again encounter the Slovenian monster. He will start for the first time in Paris-Roubaix. But the Dane is more confident in his chances in the north of France. "Here, it is easier for him to make a difference,' he says about the Tour of Flanders. 'I have to be careful what I say because maybe he can also do well on the flat cobblestones, but hopefully, it will be easier to follow him there."

Stuyven rode a very strong race. He formed a great duo with his Danish team leader. "Mads managed to stay with the group a little longer, and I was in a group behind them. Fortunately, I could sit a bit on the Taaienberg and Kruisberg because I really needed to. My legs were feeling the strain, which was clear on the Paterberg. I also suffered from cramps: not bad, but enough to suffer. I told Mads I would do most of the work if I were still in the race. We did what we could, but Tadej won in style."

Fifth place was the best he could achieve, but the Belgian tried to secure a podium with a breakaway in the final phase. "I tried once, but Mathieu didn't want to let the podium go. Staying away is difficult when your legs are empty, and you have headwinds. Theoretically, it could have been done, but my legs said otherwise."

After that, it was a matter of focusing on the sprint, which Stuyven initiated for Pedersen. "I didn't want to let things go too slowly because we all know that Mads likes a long sprint, and Mathieu wants a short, explosive spurt. I increased the pace a little, and then Mads took off. We did well, but Tadej was the strongest. I can pull as hard as I want but can't make it alone. Not that I rode on my own, because we worked well together. But it is what it is."