Pedersen defeated by van der Poel, yet the Dane remains optimistic for Tour of Flanders: "Looks promising"

"I'm very happy," Pedersen began his story in the flash interview. "I had very good legs, this is by far the best result I have ever achieved in this race. To be beaten by a monster is okay," said the Lidl-Trek star about the great Van der Poel show.

In other words, a monster. Where did the difference with that monster become evident? "I think that was pretty clear. He took off on the Kwaremont, where he was already going very fast, starting from the bottom. At one point, I could no longer stay with him, after which he was simply unbelievably good. Once he has a gap, he just keeps expanding it," said Pedersen of the MVDP class. "It is impossible to come back then. On the Kwaremont, he made a difference and showed his brilliance."

Nevertheless, Pedersen opened the race on the Taaienberg, which was the plan. "We wanted to open the race there. I spoke to the team yesterday, and they agreed we should try doing it there. For me, it was nice to open the race there. We could continue with a smaller group from there because we all wanted to keep working." Pedersen looks back on the joint effort with Van der Poel and Ganna.

What's next for the former world champion? Pedersen will soon be at the start of the other significant classics, Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders. When asked what today means for him in preparation for these two important events, Pedersen has a clear answer. "I'm in good shape. That looks promising, I think. It was tough racing today, but I'm in good shape and very happy."