"What he did was actually very stupid": Lidl-Trek left stunned by their own team leader after Gent-Wevelgem raid

Without Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert, and Filippo Ganna at the start, most eyes were already on Lidl-Trek beforehand. With Pedersen, the German-American formation had the best attacker in its ranks, but also boasted one of the fastest sprinters in Jonathan Milan. Add to that Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujins as potential final gatekeepers, and throw in Mathias Vacek — back from a serious illness — and Alex Kirsch, as well as Daan Hoole as workhorses, and you're talking about a top-tier team.

Naturally, the plan was based on that. "The plan was to make the race hard, and then Mads would attack, because that was part of our aggressive tactic. But in the end, he basically made the race hard all by himself, haha," Skujins said with a broad smile after Gent-Wevelgem. "What he did was actually very stupid. This has to be one of the most painful ways to win a race."

Pedersen was already alert in the crosswinds at De Moeren and broke away on the first passage of the Kemmelberg. Later, he definitively upped the pace on the plug streets, where Olav Kooij (crash) and Jasper Philipsen (flat tire) couldn’t follow him anymore. The Danish leader then bridged up to the early breakaway along with Arjen Livyns and dropped them all on the second time up the Kemmelberg.

Team director De Jongh saw it all unfold from the team car. "We had already said this morning that we would reassess after the Kemmel," he explained. "But he really surprised us by going so early. We thought he would use that group for longer, but he felt really good. There was still some headwind in a small section, but otherwise it was mostly tailwind."

"We told him to keep going, because you never know what’s going to happen behind," De Jongh said. "He had a two-minute lead, so then you know you have to go all-in. Jonny (Milan, ed.) also came through well, so that put us in a great position. That was ideal. We were racing really well, so this victory is truly deserved."

Skujins essentially credited the plan to Pedersen himself. "From the start, we worked very well as a team. We were constantly at the front, joined the attacks, and that actually worked perfectly. For Mads to attack from so far out — I didn’t expect that either. But we were able to protect him from behind, so I think the plan worked."

"You don’t plan something like that — riding eighty kilometers solo at the front. But apparently, some guys enjoy that," grinned Skujins, who saw his teammate win Gent-Wevelgem for the third time. "If you win here three times, that says something. This race really suits him. But in Harelbeke, he also stood on the podium for the first time, so he’s just in very good form," De Jongh added. "Knowing Mads, he’s enjoying this immensely."

Anyway, there’s a new race coming up on Wednesday: Dwars door Vlaanderen. "There are still tough races to come. I don’t think his legs will be the problem," said Skujins with a touch of understatement. "He can’t really get much better than this. Maybe just a fraction, since he was a bit sick after Paris-Nice. If he stays healthy, we’re already happy."

Pedersen makes no secret of the fact that he’s eager to win a Monument. At Lidl-Trek, they already realized after the E3 Saxo Classic that such an ambition won’t be easy to fulfill — and that was reiterated after Gent-Wevelgem. "Tadej and Mathieu are still one level higher. We need to rely on the collective. Mathieu also has a strong team around him. UAE-Team Emirates, a bit less so. We’re going to think very carefully about what we need to do — or rather: we already did that this winter. But of course, I’m not going to reveal that just yet," De Jongh concluded.