The 29-year-old produced a superb effort Friday afternoon.
Casper Pedersen took his best result in a cobbled classic at the end of the eventful, intense and rainy E3 Saxo Classic, the 208.8km race starting and finishing in Harelbeke. The Dane, our top finisher in Milano-Sanremo – the season’s first Monument – produced a brave ride on the tough course comprising a total of 17 hills before finishing a remarkable fourth.
The day didn’t get off to a good start for our team, who after just 20 kilometers had to continue with just four riders, following the abandons of Gil Gelders, Dries Van Gestel and Jordi Warlop, all of them involved in a big crash that split the peloton. Many riders, including Casper, found themselves in the second group, who had to erase a deficit of three minutes by the time they entered the last 100 kilometers, when they finally bridged across.
Pedersen didn’t stay there too long, cannily getting up the road together with Aimé De Gendt (Cofidis) and opening a gap of 30 seconds by the time they took on the Taaienberg, Tom Boonen’s hill. Our rider and his companion made it over the top in the lead, and they were soon joined by three men, who had attacked on the steepest portion of the climb. The newly-formed quintet worked well together and forged out a one-minute advantage before the Oude Kwaremont, the longest obstacle of the day and the place where the group split following an attack of Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
While the former World Champion made his own race and embarked on a long solo effort, behind him, Casper joined hands with De Gendt to hold off the chasers, who were gradually reducing the gap. The catch was made ten kilometers from the line, but the powerful Dane remained very active in the group, taking long pulls as he knew that he had a good chance of getting in the top ten. As they entered the final kilometer, the peloton had them in their sight, but the group somehow managed to hold them off and fight for the remaining places in the top ten.
Despite the huge effort he had put in on what was one of the toughest races of the season and the weather conditions that worsened in the last 50 kilometers, Pedersen still found some energy to win the group’s sprint and take an impressive fourth place at the Belgian World Tour race.
Today was a hard and crazy race.
“We started off by losing some guys in the crash, but we tried to remain calm and come back after we got caught in the split. As soon as that happened, I tried to anticipate a bit and went on the attack, which worked out great in the end. When the guys began attacking on the Oude Kwaremont, I just tried to do my own race and not go into the red, because the first three guys were incredibly strong and in a league of their own.”
“I rode my race together with Aimé instead of emptying myself behind the three, found my pace and continued like that even after we got caught. In the sprint, I again tried to do my best and use whatever energy I had left, and I’m now delighted to get what is my best ever result in a cobbled classic”, a happy Casper said after E3 Saxo Classic.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
