{"id":514778,"date":"2026-04-05T20:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T20:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514778\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T20:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T20:27:08","slug":"we-just-have-to-be-happy-the-best-cyclist-ever-is-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514778\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe just have to be happy\u2026 the best cyclist ever is racing\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\u201cFor now, we just have to be happy the best cyclist ever is racing and putting on a show, and then hope he doesn\u2019t come back once he\u2019s won everything,\u201d he told TV 2 Sport<\/a>.\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know\u201d how to beat him<\/p>\n

The question of how to stop Pogacar is one that continues to follow the peloton, and Pedersen offered a candid answer when asked directly. \u201cIf I knew, I would give you a really good and deep answer, but the problem is that I honestly don\u2019t know,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI just work as hard as I can to be the best version of myself when we line up in these races.\u201d<\/p>\n

That uncertainty reflects a wider reality. Even when riders attempt to anticipate Pogacar\u2019s moves, the decisive accelerations on climbs such as the Oude Kwaremont continue to prove difficult to match, turning small gaps into race-winning advantages.<\/p>\n

Cooperation in theory, limits in practice<\/p>\n

One proposed solution has been collective action, with rival teams attempting to work together to limit Pogacar\u2019s influence on the race. Pedersen confirmed that such efforts are not just theoretical. \u201cBelieve me, we do,\u201d he said, when asked whether riders try to combine forces against him.<\/p>\n

Yet the dynamics of a Monument finale complicate that approach. \u201cA lot of us have the same goals and want to race in the same way. Of course, we use each other and talk about things. When we are in those moments, we try to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reality, however, shifts in the closing kilometres. \u201cIf you are not with teammates, and you are in the final ten kilometres of the Tour of Flanders<\/a>, and it\u2019s the four or five of us there – Remco, Mathieu, Tadej, Van Aert and me – I\u2019m not going to turn to Van Aert and say we should take turns attacking. Then maybe he wins the race, and I\u2019ve thrown away my own chance.\u201dA balance between risk and opportunity<\/p>\n

That tension between cooperation and self-preservation leaves riders facing a difficult calculation. \u201cYes,\u201d Pedersen said when asked if he must be willing to lose in order to win. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned – and what I need to use. That I have to be willing to lose in order to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, though, the reality remains unchanged. Against Pogacar, even well-timed moves and collective intent are no guarantee of success.<\/p>\n

Pedersen\u2019s fifth place reflects both his level and the limits imposed by a race that, once again, was decided by the strongest rider on the road.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cFor now, we just have to be happy the best cyclist ever is racing and putting on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,109119,114899,101,8782,110664,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-514778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-lidl-trek","10":"tag-mads-pedersen","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tadej-pogacar","13":"tag-tour-of-flanders","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}