Following the conclusion of his winter cyclocross marketing campaign, Tom Pidcock has confirmed that he’ll make his 2023 highway debut at subsequent month’s Volta ao Algarve forward of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a swathe of spring Classics.
The Briton, the 2022 world cyclocross champion, is not going to defend his title at Hoogerheide on the weekend. His remaining race of the winter season got here every week in the past on the UCI World Cup spherical in Benidorm and he’s now getting ready for his highway season debut.
His primary objectives of the spring embody Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders.
Talking from Ineos Grenadiers’ coaching camp in Spain, he informed Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab) that Algarve (10 days) and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (20 days) got here too quickly after the ‘cross Worlds for him to consider defending his title.
“They arrive shortly and I additionally need to begin this highway season properly, even within the Algarve,” he stated.
“For varied causes, I wasn’t there with my head within the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad final 12 months.”
“I think that with Ineos Grenadiers we’ve got an excellent stronger spring core than final 12 months. We are able to go and race. A gap Basic like that (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad) is good to check how robust we’re on the finish of February.”
Pidcock stated that he had come to the choice to miss the Worlds earlier than planning his 2023 racing marketing campaign, including that he hadn’t loved racing cyclocross as a lot as he normally does final winter. Nonetheless Fayetteville will not be his final cyclocross Worlds.
“My coach Kurt Bogaerts and I had already selected it earlier than we entered the winter,” Pidcock stated. “Additionally, as a result of this 12 months the World Championships is on February 5 and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is 20 days later.
“Truthfully, lately I appreciated cyclocross much less and fewer. Final winter, particularly, I did not get pleasure from it as a lot as typical. That meant that mentally I wasn’t actually trying ahead to this cross season. However Fayetteville wasn’t my final World Championships. I can say that with quite a lot of certainty.”
Pidcock is not going to be in Hoogerheide however gave his opinion on this 12 months’s race, which is able to see the newest 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 9 this winter, with the Belgian up six-four head-to-head. It is the Dutchman who heads into the weekend with the higher hand, nevertheless, having outsprinted Van Aert for the win in Benidorm.
“Wout,” Pidcock stated when requested to call a favorite for the rainbow stripes.
“However you possibly can say little or no concerning the Worlds that makes a lot sense beforehand.
“When it comes to pure energy, Wout is the perfect, however finally a title like that is determined after an hour of racing. It isn’t solely about energy but in addition concerning the techniques laid out to turn into the world champion.
“Hoogerheide has turn into a sooner ‘cross lately. There’s extra grass, and the bottom is drained so there’s much less mud than earlier than. What additionally performs into Mathieu’s arms is that there’s not a lot operating to do. There’s nonetheless one actual energy climb, however it’s a giant one.
“If my coaching plan permits, I will be in entrance of the TV on Sunday.”
