Pedersen has sufficiently recovered from his fall and announces his participation in the Tour of Flanders in a special way: "It's a pain in the ass!"

Mads Pedersen will be able to start in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday after all. The Danish winner of Gent-Wevelgem has been included in the Lidl-Trek team for Flanders' Finest, but he is not fully recovered after his heavy fall in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

"Winning the Tour of Flanders or Roubaix, and I have to choose one? With the condition I'm in, I'm going 100 percent for Roubaix. Then I might have recovered a bit more," the Dane already gave a clear hint to Sporza. "Fortunately, I can sleep on my back, and the sleep is as good as it can be. Ah, it is what it is. After such a fall, your wounds stick to your underwear and your sheets. It's a pain in the ass. You don't recover in just a few days. I'll have to race with a different mindset. To win Flanders, you have to be 100 percent, and I'm not. But on the other hand: everything is possible, although everything would need to go my way."

Jasper Stuyven won't be in the Tour of Flanders due to his collarbone injury. The 31-year-old Belgian, like Wout van Aert and Pedersen, fell heavily in Dwars door Vlaanderen. The 28-year-old Pedersen will be supported in the Flemish Ardennes by Tim Declercq, Daan Hoole, Jonathan Milan, Toms Skujins, Edward Theuns, and Otto Vergaerde.

Read more below the photo.

Pedersen does not think Lidl-Trek should change its strategy

Pedersen thinks it 'such a shame' that his buddy Stuyven cannot be at the start. "He had found his good form again. He didn't deserve to be sitting on the ground like that. Just like Wout (van Aert), by the way. We will miss Jasper. It would not be wise to switch our strategy now. We've found a good rhythm and enjoy aggressive racing. It would be a mistake to hold back now, though it's not up to me to decide our tactics. That's for the team management. However, I think it's unlikely we'll just sit back and watch others take charge. While it shouldn't be the headline, I'd be surprised if we didn't take an active role."

By the way, the American team announced the selection in a completely unique way. The admin of the 'X' channel asked Pedersen himself to create a fun graphic for the selection. The Dane then asked who all were starting and what information needed to be included.

View the post below.

Lidl-Trek Tour of Flanders 2024 selection

Tim Declercq
Daan Hoole
Jonathan Milan
Mads Pedersen
Toms Skujins
Edward Theuns
Otto Vergaerde