BREAKING NEWS: GM of Cycling has just declared that Lotte Kopecky is no longer…

Mads Pedersen speaks as he likes to race: with blunt power. There’s little room for subtlety and small talk, especially when he is battered and bruised after the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash and the Tour of Flanders is approaching.

The Dane is the Lidl-Trek designated leader for Sunday’s race and so will try to take on Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and everyone who lines up in Antwerp.

Pedersen didn’t complete a final Tour of Flanders reconnaissance ride with his Lidl-Trek teammates on Thursday due to the consequences of him crashing at speed with Wout Van Aert and others at almost 70 km/h as they blasted to the foot of the Kanarieberg.

He rode outdoors on Friday morning to try and ease the pain of the bruises that he describes as ‘everywhere’ on his body. Fortunately he has been able to sleep and so his recovery is underway.

He will surely be back to his best for next Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix but made it clear he will fight for a result on Easter Sunday to too.

“I’ve had better days, let’s say it like this. To hit the floor with that speed is always painful. My wounds are sticking to the underwear and the sheets of the bed. it’s just a pain in the ass to have this,” Pedersen said on Friday afternoon.

“Of course, once in a while we end up on the floor and that’s a part of it. We know it when we sign our contracts that with that signature follows a bit of skin once in a while.