Cyclocross World Champion Tom Pidcock says he will ‘probably not’ defend his title in February choosing to focus on his road racing goals this Spring.
With the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide doesn’t take place until February 5 and the 23-year-old looks set to miss a defence of the title he won in America earlier this year.
When asked if he will defend the title? Pidcock replied: “Probably not, but not definitely. I don’t know.”
Pidcock won a stage at the Tour de France last season on L'Alpe d'Huez and De Brabantse Pijl one-day race in April. More one-day races in the Spring are expected to be on his calendar and the young Brit accepts that this cyclocross season comes second to his road racing goals.
“The ‘cross season I want to be at a good level, enjoy it and get the benefits from it, but I want to use that to go into the road season with a good base,” Pidcock added.
“Cross is not in function of the road. I’m still here to enjoy and try and win races. You also have to acknowledge that it’s a benefit to the road.
“Explosivity is perhaps harder to get [as a road rider coming into cyclocross], but it makes it easier if you are generally fitter. I hope to always keep my strengths and naturally endurance grows as you get older anyway.”
Pidcock joins Ineos Grenadiers on a training camp this week before re-entering cyclocross at Zilvermeercross on December 23 and then having a busy, festive ‘cross calendar. The British rider expects a tough week training with Ineos Grenadiers with longer endurance rides and hopes to come back into cyclocross with slightly increased form.
“Now I go onto a training camp,” added Pidcock. “Maybe I can make a bit of a step (improvement ahead of returning to cyclo-cross), but it’s not really my goal to make the biggest step in the next month or so.
“On training camp, especially in December, everybody is doing more steady and longer efforts and it’s not really pretty intense.
“Naturally those efforts are pretty hard when you’re in ‘cross shape as you’re very explosive but not consistent. I also do a little bit different training. It will be nice to go and see everybody again.”
Pidcock gave it everything to take victory in front of a vocal Dublin crowd who were willing the young British rider to win.
Despite attacking with three laps remaining a group of six riders stayed together and Pidcock suffered from his early effort as Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) rode to victory.
Not to disappoint the crowd of more than 8,000, Pidcock put in a late surge to finish third with Laurens Sweeck occupying the other podium position.
“It would have been pretty c*** if I wasn’t on the podium so I had to make sure I got there today,” added Pidcock. “With three laps to go it’s a time when everybody is tired and you can push on. I pushed on and nothing happened. I don’t know if I went faster or the same speed but nobody got dropped and nobody came back.
“Wout made a difference in the last lap and I did a pretty fast last lap also, but it was strange in that respect. In a situation like that I don’t think I have the power to make a difference on a flat course.
“It was strange, it was weird how there was a lot of guys in the group. It almost rode like a fast course even though it was really muddy," he added.
“I couldn’t really push on, it was strange and one pace around there today. In the last lap, I had to get on the podium today, I would have been disappointed if I wasn’t. It also would have been nice to win but that was all I could do really. It was quite a tough track and there was nowhere where I felt I could make the difference today.”
Pidcock almost capitalised when a towel got caught in the wheel of rival Van Aert breaking his rear derailleur, only for the Belgian to come storming back after a bike change.
“I didn’t know what had happened for a few minutes,” added Pidcock. “I heard somebody breaking, which was weird and then I heard Wout at 10 seconds. It was a very close and open race today.”
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