Mads Pedersen started this morning as a favorite and after a long solo breakaway of 56 kilometers, he conquered his third victory at Gent-Wevelgem, entering that select group of riders with the most wins in this Flemish Classic. "This morning when I was about to start, they told me I could match Eddy Merckx" – Pedersen began after the award ceremony – "I always felt good and I think I'm in my best form".

This is the third success for the Lidl-Trek rider who in 2020 had beaten Sénéchal and Trentin, and last year had defeated Mathieu van der Poel in a sprint. "I would never have expected to win like this" - he continued - "I wanted to test my legs on the most difficult sections and when I arrived alone on the Kemmelberg with more than fifty kilometers still to go, I thought for a moment that I had started too early, but fortunately I managed to resist and I must say that in the end I made the best choice".

The Dane has great experience in this Classic and knows what it means to win in Wevelgem, but this time he had more time to enjoy the last kilometer with the crowd shouting his name. "I know from past editions that the group can be fast in the last ten kilometers, so I wasn't very confident about reaching the finish line. It was only in the last 5 kilometers that I believed I could make it, and when there were 300-400 meters left to the finish, then I enjoyed the straight to the finish line. I'm probably in the best form of my life".

Talking about race records, besides Pedersen, six other riders have won Gent-Wevelgem three times, and they are important champions like Tom Boonen, Peter Sagan, Mario Cipollini, Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Robert Van Eenaeme. At this point, however, Pedersen is aiming for a fourth victory, to become the sole record holder. "It means a lot to win again here. It's an honor for me to be on a list of important winners like Merckx and Boonen".

Pedersen spoke about his upcoming appointments, particularly the Tour of Flanders where Pogacar and Van der Poel will not be present, and the Tour of Flanders with Paris-Roubaix, where the world's strongest riders will be. "The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will be a different story, a Monument Classic like the Ronde is a completely different race and there will be two other riders who are the best in the world" – Pedersen said, referring to Pogacar and Van der Poel – "One of them dropped me on the Oude Kwaremont last Friday during the E3, but this victory certainly gives me a boost to do well in the upcoming events".

Today Lidl-Trek had an excellent result with Pedersen's victory and Jonathan Milan's third place, the Italian sprinter who finished third in the final sprint behind Merlier.

"In this race, I knew that Jonathan also had his chances and we both played our cards. I'm happy with his placement and if the situation had been in his favor, I would certainly have helped him".