🎥 Mads Pedersen frustrated at mind games in the chasing group at Paris-Roubaix

Mads Pedersen was where he needed to be on Sunday at Paris-Roubaix, but the Dane from Lidl-Trek had no answer when Tadej Pogačar (UAE) and eventual winner Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) accelerated at the decisive moment. That was Pedersen's blunt assessment.

Pedersen was blunt in his interview with fellow Dane Anders Mielke on Eurosport. "I'm disappointed. I came here to win and ride a top result, but that didn't happen."

What went wrong? "It comes down to the legs and I couldn't follow. That was it. So it's pretty clear what happened."

From there, Pedersen — just as in the previous two years — was left racing for a podium place. The Dane closed several gaps in the closing phase, but had to watch as former teammate Jasper Stuyven took third for Soudal Quick-Step. "I felt like they didn't really want to go to the finish with me," said an irked Pedersen.

"I'd rather give everything to try and finish third and have it not work out, than have to fight for fourth place," Pedersen explained. He eventually finished seventh — behind Stuyven, Mathieu van der Poel, Christophe Laporte and Mick van Dijke from his group.

"I tried, but it didn't work out. It is what it is."