Cycling News

‘I didn’t want Van der Poel to surprise me’ – Mads Pedersen holds nerve to win Gent-Wevelgem duel

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) on the Kemmelberg at the 2024 Gent Wevelgem

The idea was to outflank and outnumber Mathieu van der Poel, but in the finale of Gent-Wevelgem, Mads Pedersen still faced something akin to a modern labour of Hercules, namely a head-to-head contest with the world champion.

Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek squad had raced with aggression and cohesion all afternoon, placing three men in the front group of seven that formed after the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, but a plan can only bring a team so far at a race like this. Come the last hour or so of racing, Pedersen had to find his own way past a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

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