“The sharpness was gone,” but Pedersen and co aren’t afraid of Van der Poel and Van Aert: “We did it last year too”

With Mads Pedersen, the American team obviously had one of the top favorites for the San Remo win. However, the strong Dane had no answer to the attack from Pogacar, Van der Poel, and Filippo Ganna on the Cipressa, which meant the 2019 world champion was never in the mix. Still, Lidl–Trek’s team leader managed to salvage a seventh-place finish, offering some consolation.

Steven de Jongh had a clear takeaway after La Primavera: “Those three guys were simply stronger,” the Dutch sports director laughed. Still, there was more to his team leader’s performance, as Pedersen had impressed earlier in Paris–Nice with a stage win, several podium finishes, and solid climbing form.

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As it turns out, Pedersen fell ill after the French stage race, where the bad weather played a major role. “That took a bit of the sharpness away from him,” concluded Steven De Jongh ahead of the WorldTour classic Brugge–De Panne. “But he’s okay again now. So we’re happy with the condition of our team leaders.”

Pedersen wasn’t the only rider on the team to fall ill. “The team is in good shape, but we’ve had some illness. Though I think most teams have dealt with sickness lately. For us, everyone is either healthy or almost fully recovered, so things are looking good.” For example, Daan Hoole had to skip the sprinters’ race in West Flanders, as the towering South Hollander hadn’t fully recovered yet.

The fact remains that the team couldn’t match the attacks from riders like Pogacar and Van der Poel in Milan–San Remo. But according to Steven De Jongh, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything for the upcoming Flemish races. “In a race like Milan–San Remo, you can’t do as much as a team. It’s a very different race compared to what’s coming up. In the upcoming races, you can do a lot more as a collective.”

Last year, De Jongh’s team was one of the most dominant units in the Flemish spring classics. In the E3 Saxo Classic, they placed four riders in the top eleven, with Jasper Stuyven finishing second behind Van der Poel and ahead of Van Aert. Two days later, Mads Pedersen beat Van der Poel in a two-man sprint to win Gent–Wevelgem.

Van der Poel won’t be riding Gent–Wevelgem this year, but he will be at the start of the E3 Saxo Classic. “Of course, Mathieu will be a really tough opponent for us, but we’re going to try. We managed it last year in Gent–Wevelgem, so we’re not giving up,” said De Jongh. Van Aert is also choosing to race only the E3, skipping Gent–Wevelgem. Pedersen, meanwhile, will ride both races, with Lidl–Trek also counting on the fast legs of Jonathan Milan in Gent–Wevelgem.

Just days before the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent–Wevelgem doubleheader, Tadej Pogacar changed his race schedule. The Slovenian was initially set to start both races but has withdrawn from each. The reason: the current world champion will instead line up for Paris–Roubaix. For Lidl–Trek and sports director Steven De Jongh, it doesn’t matter whether Pogacar is at the start or not, because: “You mainly need to focus on yourself and the things you're good at.”

“Beyond that, he’s just another competitor. Wherever he races, he’s got a good chance of winning—that’s all,” said the Dutch team boss. Could it also be an advantage when a big name like Pogacar races, so the spotlight shifts away from Lidl–Trek? De Jongh stuck to his earlier message: “You have to ride your own race. Don’t pay too much attention to what someone else is doing or planning to do.”