Like many contenders for the 2023 Tour of Flanders, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) suspected he wouldn't be able to live with Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu Van der Poel in a direct battle for victory. The only option was to steal a march and go all in.
Anticipation was the name of the game for the former world champion, and it took him all the way to the podium, where he had stood on his scintillating Flanders debut four years ago.
"I'd rather try and die in the end than just follow and still pop at the end," Pedersen told reporters at the finish in Oudenaarde.
"That's basically how I wanted to race - just anticipate and don't be afraid of running out of bullets. It paid quite okay today.”
Pedersen was the first of the so-called 'shadow favourites' to make his move, accelerating and dragging a strong group away on the Wolvenberg with 114 km to race.
That came to nothing but another attack soon went on the Molenberg, and Pedersen jumped across to it. With the likes of Stefan Küng, Neilson Powless, and Kasper Asgreen on board, it was a boat full of like-minded attackers.
"Most of us had the same game plan," Pedersen acknowledged.
"Every rider beneath the big three wanted to anticipate and be out there early. It was about finding the right moment and finding each other at the same time and going. It didn't surprise me at all."
Pedersen wasn't done anticipating.
The gap on Pogačar, Van Aert and van der Poel swelled to three minutes, suddenly tipping the race into an awkward and tantalising balance.
It plummeted as Pogačar launched his onslaught over the Koppenberg and Kwaremont but Pedersen then stole a march on his breakaway companions with a sneaky move on the descent into the Oude Kruisberg, again going all in.
He carried it up the cobbled climb, over the draggy Hotond, and down to the foot of the Kwaremont with 22 km to go.
"I was not planning a specific moment to attack but I knew I wanted to be in front of the guys, to anticipate early, so it was about finding the right moment and thought that would be a good moment," he explained.
Pedersen was in the lead, but not for long, as Pogačar suddenly shot past in a flash on the Kwaremont.
Asked about what was going through his head at that moment, Pedersen was typically humorous.
"Good luck my friend, see you later," he quipped.
Van der Poel then breezed past and Pedersen had to slot into a small chase group on the Paterberg, but was still able to outsprint Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to claim the final podium spot.
He had tried to win the Tour of Flanders but hadn't died.
"This means a lot. It's Monument and it's always nice to be on the podium," Pedersen said.
"We are just happy we can change our fifth and sixth places to a podium, finally."
