Despite Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) confirming that this is the strongest he's ever been heading into the Tour of Flanders, the Dane still admitted how he will need to make the first move on Sunday before Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) attack on the climbs.
Pedersen is confident, of course, as a two-time podium finisher at the Ronde and having performed well at the E3 Saxo Classic, where he finished second, Gent-Wevelgem, which he dominated to win solo, and Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he took fifth.
What did he learn from those races, however? "Nothing," said Pedersen in his usual pragmatic style, "The two guys who are the main favourites for Sunday were not there the other days, and that changes the racing completely.
"So Flanders is a different race, completely different from both Gent and Dwars. I will do my best, and then we will see how the result will be."
Speaking to a small group of press including Cyclingnews on Friday, Pedersen also acknowledged how he was still just a step behind the two main 2025 Tour of Flanders contenders, Van der Poel and Pogačar for Sunday's race, with Lidl-Trek team strength vital to him getting the result he desires.
"I can't just wait and see what they do, because if I just try to follow them, we saw it in E3 – Mathieu he dropped me fair and square," said Pedersen at the Weinebrugge hotel, where Lidl-Trek have long been staying at the Classics.
"I know they are better climbers than me, so it would not be ideal to just follow them and then they will drop me on the climbs. I know they're better on the climbs than I am, so for sure, I have to do something."
He of course couldn't reveal exactly when or how would try to do that, but expect Pedersen to take matters into his own legs on Sunday, just as he did at E3 when he exploded the race with more than 80km to go on the Taaienberg.
"I can't tell you right now what it's going to be," he said. "First of all, it wouldn't make sense to tell the press what my plans will be, and the second thing is, again, it really depends on how the racing is and how we are as a team.
"To beat these guys, we have to be there with numbers as I say so often, because I can't make the difference myself compared to Mathieu and Tadej, so I need a full team.
"We need to be a unit to beat these riders. And we showed it last year in Gent-Wevelgem that we need to work together and be on top of everything to beat these two guys. Because if we come down to this mano a mano on the climbs, we are maybe a few steps behind, but if we survive this and get in front as a unit, then we can race differently, and we can use each other to win the race as a team."
After opening things up at E3, Pedersen was best of the rest behind only Van der Poel, who scorched away from the Dane and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadies) on the Oude Kwaremont, one of the climbs that will characterise Sunday's race.
While Pedersen is confident, he thinks the three-time winner and defending Flanders champion is at an even higher level than last season when he surged up the Koppenberg and rode solo into Oudenaarde.
"I hope we both can [follow Pogačar]... It looks like Mathieu [Van der Poel] took another step from last year to this year, and what we saw in San Remo was really, really impressive on the climbs. I think he can follow Tadej, yes," said Pedersen, after already confirming his newfound level.
"Is this the strongest you've ever felt heading into the Tour of Flanders?" asked Cyclingnews, "Yes" replied Pedersen.
The former world champion has long spoken about what a Monument Classic victory would mean for him, having come close many times in the past six years since he claimed the rainbow jersey in Yorkshire. But is he nervous heading into Sunday? No, he'll approach it the same as any race.
"I try to keep the mentality the same for every race I do - the approach to racing also I try to keep the same, with the same focus, and also on all the days before to have the same rhythm," said Pedersen.
"Because I think if I start to overthink it and start to go too much into the smaller details in the really big races, then it might be too much, you know. So I'm just going into [Flanders and Roubaix] like they're any other race."
There's also been talk of Lidl-Trek teaming up with the likes of Visma-Lease a Bike in a bid to unseat the expected dominance of Van der Poel's Alpecin-Deceuninck squad, and Pogačar's UAE support team. Of course, Pedersen's team won't explicitly do that, but he didn't deny that their approach may be similar against the two out-and-out favourites.
"I'm pretty sure [Visma] have their own plan, and we have our plan. So I don't think we need to talk together to make a move together," said Pedersen.
"I'm pretty sure the sports directors who make the tactics are thinking the same, and I'm pretty sure if they would tell you the exact truth of what tactics we would use before the race, then our's and Visma's would be pretty close to each other."
Tactics or not, Pedersen should start in Bruges in two days' time in the group of favourites behind only Van der Poel and Pogačar. If he gets ahead of them, he has his best ever chance at Monument glory, but if he is with them at the foot of the Koppenberg, Kwaremont or Paterberg, even he doesn't expect to be able to go with them. Is 2025 Pedersen's year?
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Spring Classics coverage. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from all the Cobbled Classics from Opening Weekend to Paris-Roubaix. Find out more
