One of the fantasy managers' biggest doubts for the Tour of Flanders is the condition of Mads Pedersen , who crashed at Dwars last Wednesday and was therefore forced to retire.

The Dane from Lidl Trek, winner of last Sunday's Ghent-Wevelgem and one of the big favorites in Flanders, did not suffer any fractures but falling to the ground at a very high speed certainly wasn't good for his body.

In the press conference organized by the team, he himself responded on his current state of form.

"How am I? I've seen better days, let's put it that way. When you hit the ground at that speed, it's always painful. Not ideal preparation for Sunday, but it could have been worse. I could have been lying on an operating table in a hospital now, like two of my teammates or opponents. So I'm pretty happy that I can still race on Sunday. You never sleep well after a crash like this. My body hurts. My body won't be perfect on Sunday. I show up at the start with a different mentality than before my crash. I know that if you want to win the Tour of Flanders, you have to be 100%. I have to be honest: after the crash, I'm not 100% anymore . But on the other hand, nothing is impossible. And if everything goes right, it's still possible to win. It'll be a little bit 50-50 whichever way it goes."

Pedersen talks about the fall which also involved teammate Jasper Stuyven, who broke his collarbone, and Wout Van Aert, who suffered several fractures.

Both will not be at the start of the Ronde Van Vlaanderen: "I fell to my knees, with my elbows and then I rolled down the road. The bruises are everywhere, but luckily not on my back. And I sleep on my back, so basically my nights they were as good as I could. I repeat, I'm not 100% and this is necessary to win, but you never know. However, we will not race differently than we have done in the last races. Lidl-Trek will take on their responsibility".

Finally on the possible outcome of next Sunday's race: "I am 100% convinced that the initial breakaway will go very far and we will certainly encounter a surprise at the end."

Photo Sprint Cycling