Pedersen has taken a step forward this year.
In Flanders 2023, he needed a three-minute lead from a breakaway to challenge for the podium. This year, he went head-to-head with the best for a podium finish. He's closed that three-minute gap againts de best riderds.
Before he needed to take advantage, but this year in Flanders, he was able to be in the main group, on par with the second and third-place finishers.
He also put on a performance in Ghent that he hadn't put on before.
In Roubaix, if he didn't get a puncture, he would have arrived at the velodrome with VDP.
Considering that VDP and Pogacar took off previous races to rest before Roubaix, Pedersen was racing in Ghent.
In Paris-Nice, he climbed like never before, and what he did at the Giro... after a spring full of races in which he was in shape in all of them