The Lidl-Trek rider was unstoppable in his 50th professional win of his career and thereby redeemed his disappointment after illness hampered his Milano San Remo campaign.
The Dane crossed the line comfortably ahead of the peloton chasing him down, with Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick-Step) and Lidl-Trek teammate Jonathan Milan taking the final spots on the podium.
Pedersen had previously won the race by outsprinting breakaway rivals, however on Sunday he crossed the finishing line in far more impressive way this time around, going solo from the break with 56km remaining.
Pedersen was 1:22 ahead of the peloton with 10km left and still had almost a minute at the finish, where he celebrated one of the best performances of his career.
“It’s crazy. I never expected to be able to do something like this. I thought ok let’s try to open the race, and this could have ended in s**t also, and at some point you reach a point of no return,” race winner Mads Pedersen told Roadcycling.com.
“I’ve never been better than now, and my recent performances confirm this. I was still fighting with just one kilometer left and I know from experience how fast the race is in the final five kilometers, so I never felt safe. It gives us confidence before Sunday’s Roonde van Vlaanderen,” said Pedersen after the race.