Mads Pedersen was unlucky at Paris-Roubaix and, due to a puncture at the worst possible moment, had to settle for third place, behind Pogacar in second and van der Poel winning for the third consecutive year.

"I was truly unlucky, because I was feeling really good, had great sensations and the team did an impressive job all day to keep me away from problems and position me well in the sectors - Pedersen said in the press conference - Everything had gone perfectly until that moment and then it becomes so difficult to adapt to a new situation and you realize you're no longer racing for the win".

Pedersen was one of the big favorites for this Roubaix and in the end, found himself sprinting in the velodrome to secure the lowest step of the podium.

"I think the only thing to do in these situations is to adapt as quickly as possible to something else. When everything happened, I couldn't even think about fighting for the podium, but in this race you never know what can happen and you know you must continue, because anything can happen, even climbing on the podium when you least expect it".

We saw many battles between Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar and Mads Pedersen and perhaps we'll have to wait another year to see such beautiful races.

"I can't wait to no longer race against these two guys, they're becoming more frequent and I think: enjoy the moments when we fight, but don't expect it to always be like this. Mathieu will go to the Tour, but it will be a completely different approach for both of us. So you won't see the same battles as now".

There were many punctures and besides Pedersen, many other riders were forced to change bikes. "The pavé is really, really rough and if you hit a stone the wrong way, then yes, the air goes out and the puncture remains, so rain or no rain, I think it would have been the same for everyone".

At the end of Paris-Roubaix, the third Monument Classic of the year, it can be noted that the top 4 of the Tour of Flanders are also the top 4 of Paris-Roubaix and even the first two names of Milan-Sanremo are the same. "I don't know what to say about these stats. In the end, it's just the best riders fighting to win and we enjoy racing. Fortunately, I managed to get on the podium even if it wasn't easy. Next week there will be another race and we'll see who the top three riders will be".