Day after day, the objectives that Mads Pedersen had set his sights on for the second half of March are becoming increasingly blurred. The Danish rider, who underwent surgery on February 5th following the consequences of his crash at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana that cost him a fractured left wrist and right collarbone, is still seriously engaged in the rehabilitation process and, despite attempting to accelerate his recovery, still has considerable ground to cover before receiving clearance to return to racing on the road.

This means that, as he himself honestly admitted on his Lang Distance podcast, with each passing hour his presence at races like Milan-Sanremo and E3 Saxo Classic (two original spring objectives alongside Paris-Nice) becomes increasingly unrealistic.

"It will be really difficult to be there" responded the 2019 World Champion regarding the possibility of starting the Classicissima in Pavia on March 21st. "Even taking part in the E3 will be tough. Mine remains a complicated fracture and the bones in my hand are not yet in place. The brace I had was mainly to keep everything in position and now it takes time for it to heal properly" added the Lidl-Trek rider.

"The collarbone hasn't settled yet either and because of that it's not responsible to start racing again or spend many hours on the road" explained the Scandinavian rider who, in light of his current health status, is more likely to line up at the start of races like the Tour of Flanders (scheduled for April 5th) and Paris-Roubaix (April 12th) where it's still unlikely he'll be in optimal condition.

Having not raced for a long time and being unable to perform certain prolonged efforts, it's difficult for Pedersen to think that, if he does manage to participate in the Ronde, "Hell of the North" or, who knows, perhaps even the E3, he'll be able to immediately contend for victory against the likes of Pogacar and van der Poel, but the thirty-year-old from Tølløse, as we know, is a tough competitor and will try to do everything within his power and ability to give himself a chance in the races he loves and hopes not to have to watch from home.

"We continue to work and we'll see if what we're doing will work. We believe until the end, but nothing is certain yet" concluded a hopeful Pedersen, a rider who certainly doesn't lack tenacity and dedication.