Tom Pidcock's decision to skip the Cyclocross World Championships, as the holder of the rainbow jersey, raised a few eyebrows, but it appears to have paid off as the Ineos Grenadiers rider hit the 2023 season running at the Volta ao Algarve. And it's going to be a busy one, as his coach Kurt Bogaerts explained to Cyclingnews.
"We do a lot," noted the Belgian. "It's crucial that when you have this kind of programme that you work in steps and you take one step at a time and try to achieve one goal at a time."
While his old 'cross rivals Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout van Aert were preparing for - and then battling for - the world title in Hoogerheid, Pidcock was camped up in southeast Spain. He caught the end of the race in a hotel lobby full of Van der Poel's teammates, but his mind was already on other things.
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"We wanted to first have some rest then do a big block of training to make a good base to build on in the next weeks," Bogaerts said.
Pidcock was the latest in a growing list of pro riders to check into the Syncrosfera hotel run by Alexandr Kolobnev. Although located at sea level in the peloton's most popular winter training destination, the hotel features rooms in which air pressure can be adjusted to simulate various levels of altitude.
Despite being banned by some nations, with Italians unable to use them anywhere in the world, it's a relatively common practice - usually done using a physical tent - for riders to achieve the blood-boosting effects of low-oxygenated altitudes without going to traditional training locations like Mount Teide.
"We tried to find a place where you can also train in good weather on roads that are suitable to prepare the Classics. He didn't sleep massively high - I don't think that's the goal this time of the year," Bogaerts said, confirming that Pidcock slept around 2000 metres for the duration of his stay.
"It wasn't specifically for the Classics. It was more to use this later, building up so that if we go back to altitude later in the year it's less of a shock to the body. When he goes back home to Andorra he will adapt easier and be able to train quicker."
Pidcock won't be back home all that much, with a packed spring schedule in Northern Europe. He'll race the 'Opening Weekend' of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne this weekend, before going on to ride the main Flemish Classics period in late March. But then he's also going on to the hillier Ardennes Classics and through to Liège-Bastogne-Liège in late April.
"The first objective of the season is to do a big Classics block and try to be good until Liège," Bogaerts said.
"That's also hard. Not many riders do the double of the Flemish and Ardennes. That's also why his 'cross season was relatively short."
Tour de France and MTB in the summer
After the spring, Pidcock will need a break, so his racing calendar is fairly free in May as he starts to build back up, via another stint of altitude training. But then it's another busy summer that once again will cover multiple disciplines, with a return to the Tour de France and more time on the mountain bike.
The new combined UCI World Championships, which is bringing together various disciplines in a new early August slot, has created something of a headache, but Pidcock will prioritise the mountain bike world title over the road world title this year. The men's road race takes place on August 6 and the Cross-Country MTB race the following weekend on August 12.
"We haven't yet made a final decision on Road Worlds. It's difficult to do both, and we definitely do mountain bike.
"We still have ambitions on the mountain bike. We will also do a few mountain bike races in the summer in order to collect some points to have an ok start position at the Worlds."
Pidcock will likely do a stage race on the road, with Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse both mentioned by Bogaerts, in order to prepare for the Tour de France, where he won atop Alpe d'Huez last year and where he has even greater ambitions in the future.
Pidcock has made no secret of his desire to win the yellow jersey and even showed flashes of his general classification potential on debut last year, but he isn't gearing up for any serious crack this year.
"If everything goes to plan and we fulfil the Classics well, then the Tour de France is on the calendar and we'll try to progress from what he did there last year," Bogaerts said.
"That's not with specific GC ambitions. We are still on a journey of exploration, and we don't want to put the high pressure of the GC on him. Hopefully, he can win a nice stage again - I think that should be the objective. With his profile I think there are several opportunities."
It's a typically packed schedule for the 23-year-old, but he did at least show restraint in missing 'Cross Worlds in order to set himself up for it all. And if Algarve was anything to go by, he's well set.
"It feels like the first time in a long time that I'm at the first race and I'm kind of ready already," Pidcock himself said.
He didn't manage to close out the overall title in the Volta ao Algarve, but that was in large part due to his unfamiliarity with his time trial bike, and still came away with a first win of the season atop the Alto do Malhão.
"He looks in a good place," Bogaerts concluded. "I think there's a good margin to improve from here. If he can do that, I'll be happy."
