Mads Pedersen has ‘unfinished business’ at the cobbled classics


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Mads Pedersen has some ‘leftovers’ with the cobblestone classic.

After enjoying a groundbreaking ride at the debut Tour of Flanders in 2018, the Trek-Segafredo rider struggled to back up that performance.

This season he returned to the top ten for the first time since finishing sixth in Flanders. Trek has had a series of unfortunate crashes and mechanical troubles with his 2022 Roubaix, but he admits he was also without legs the rest of the time.

‘I have unfinished business with classics,’ said Pedersen vero news At the Trek-Segafredo training camp in Calpe on Tuesday. “I’m focused on the classics. I don’t say Roubaix because every time I say I’m going to crash or do something stupid.

“At Roubaix, I still feel like I was unlucky for the second year in a row. This year I was good in all the other classics like Flanders, but it wasn’t enough to chase the best. , when I start Classic next year, I have to be 2% better.

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Despite his struggles in the Classics in recent years, racing still holds a strong place in his heart. There is something unseen and inexplicable about the race that is firmly entrenched on his calendar each year.

“Honestly, I can’t tell you [I like classics] Because they are a race of shit. It’s very cold, long and wet. I hate when I have to ride my bike, but it’s special. It’s the atmosphere, it’s the fans, it’s the status of the race. It may sound a little crazy, but there are many elements that combine to make it special. ”

Pedersen had success in the Classics, winning the junior Paris-Roubaix in 2013, but his record in elite events was not great. He rode his five times but failed to finish twice, his best being 51st in 2019.

No champion has won the Elite title since the introduction of the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2003. Pedersen wants to change that.

“It’s not easy to explain, because it’s just a feeling, like, do you like or dislike cars, do you like or dislike cars,” Pedersen said of his love for “Hell of the North.” rice field. ”

“Roubaix, I think racing suits me better. I won the junior race, so I hope this little cobblestone can go along with the big cobblestone. And it’s crazy that I like it, but hopefully it’s time for a change.”

Backing up big campaigns in 2022

Despite the spring disappointment, Pedersen enjoyed a very strong 2022 season. Dane has his nine wins on the year, including stages at Paris-Nice and the Tour de France.

His best performance was the Vuelta a España, where he won three stages and finished runner-up in four more stages to score points.

“Overall it’s been a great season, a long and consistent season all year long. It’s hard to say the ‘best’ season where I became world champion, but I have to pick one. If so, it will 100% be in 2022,” Pedersen said. vero news.

“I think it was mostly like stability, and I’ve gotten older and more experienced. I also realized that I haven’t done this in years. It’s not about jumping around and wasting it, now is the time to focus when you’re racing, it doesn’t matter if it’s the Bessage or the Tools, every race is the same is to concentrate on

It will be difficult to match what Pedersen has achieved in 2022, but he has already started setting some big goals.immediately after talking to vero news On Tuesday, he revealed his intention to compete in next season’s Giro d’Italia and score a hat-trick on the stages of the Grand Tour.

If he can do that, it’s already going to be a pretty good year for the 26-year-old. No intention, his expectations are much higher.

“The most difficult thing is to always maintain performance. People have a lot of expectations of me now, but I think it’s pretty difficult to maintain performance like this year.” No, but I expect it to be less than this year, it’s crazy to expect a season like this, but I think you can raise the barrier quite high and expect a lot from yourself.

“I am happy to have another season, like the one that just ended. It may not be a win, but I think the most important thing is to be consistent and keep fighting for wins. increase.”





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