Following the conclusion of his winter cyclocross campaign, Tom Pidcock has confirmed that he will make his 2023 road debut at next month's Volta ao Algarve ahead of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a swathe of spring Classics.
The Briton, the 2022 world cyclocross champion, will not defend his title at Hoogerheide at the weekend. His final race of the winter season came a week ago at the UCI World Cup round in Benidorm and he is now preparing for his road season debut.
His main goals of the spring include Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders.
Speaking from Ineos Grenadiers' training camp in Spain, he told Het Nieuwsblad that Algarve (10 days) and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (20 days) came too soon after the 'cross Worlds for him to think about defending his title.
"They come quickly and I also want to start this road season well, even in the Algarve," he said.
"For various reasons, I wasn't there with my head in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last year."
"I suspect that with Ineos Grenadiers we have an even stronger spring core than last year. We can go and race. An opening Classic like that (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad) is ideal to test how strong we are at the end of February."
Pidcock said that he had come to the decision to miss the Worlds before planning his 2023 racing campaign, adding that he hadn't enjoyed racing cyclocross as much as he usually does last winter. However Fayetteville won't be his last cyclocross Worlds.
"My coach Kurt Bogaerts and I had already decided on it before we entered the winter," Pidcock said. "Also, because this year the World Championships is on February 5 and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is 20 days later.
"Honestly, in recent years I liked cyclocross less and less. Last winter, especially, I didn't enjoy it as much as usual. That meant that mentally I wasn't really looking forward to this cross season. But Fayetteville wasn't my last World Championships. I can say that with a lot of certainty."
Pidcock will not be in Hoogerheide but gave his opinion on this year's race, which will see the latest installment of the Mathieu van der Poel vs Wout van Aert rivalry in his absence.
Van der Poel has six wins to Van Aert's nine this winter, with the Belgian up six-four head-to-head. It's the Dutchman who heads into the weekend with the upper hand, however, having outsprinted Van Aert for the win in Benidorm.
"Wout," Pidcock said when asked to name a favourite for the rainbow stripes.
"But you can say very little about the Worlds that makes much sense beforehand.
"In terms of pure power, Wout is the best, but ultimately a title like this is decided after an hour of racing. It's not only about power but also about the tactics laid out to become the world champion.
"Hoogerheide has become a faster 'cross in recent years. There is more grass, and the ground is drained so there's less mud than before. What also plays into Mathieu's hands is that there is not much running to do. There is still one real power climb, but it's a big one.
"If my training plan allows, I'll be in front of the TV on Sunday."
