Pidcock looks forward to Antwerp after victory: ‘Hope to be able to compete with Wout and Mathieu’
Tom Pidcock isolated on Saturday to victory in the Boom Superprestige. Afterwards, however, it was not far about his victory, but about the fall of Mathieu van der Poelin which the Briton was also involved.
Pidcock was, so to speak, in the front row when Van der Poel fell, but he does not remember much about it. “I’m not sure if it was shown on television, but if it was, then the rest probably know better what is happening than I do,” says the world champion in the flash interview. “Mathieu fell, I took to avoid him, but he was happy, so I fell too.” While Van der Poel spoke afterwards of complaints to the shoulder and knee, Pidcock escaped injuries. “I’m okay, I hope he’s okay too. He’s done, so I don’t think he’s in too much pain.’
Despite being held by the fall, Pidcock does not lose his leading position. Lars van der Haar even came close, but with the Dutchman’s possible hope of victory, the Brit quickly and accurately settled. ‘I thought: I’ll just push on. I had a good start and wanted to keep my own rhythm. It’s a tough round. Because of those climbs, the last rounds were tough. Eli (Iserbyt, ed.) and Lars got closer, so I had to keep the gap to the finish. I had it under control, I probably didn’t win by thirty seconds. Fifteen seconds is also enough, but they were strong in the last rounds.
Pidcock: ‘It’s not my course’
Just like Van der Poel and Wout van Aert, Pidcock will be at the start of the cross in Antwerp on Sunday. Although the course doesn’t really suit him, he’s looking forward to it. ‘It will be a great match. There is a lot of sand. I don’t like that very much, but I hope to be able to compete with Wout and Mathieu. It’s not my course, but if I can compete with them, that would be nice.’