"I can either follow or I can’t" - Tom Pidcock direct with his chances of success at Tour of Flanders

Tom Pidcock comes into the Tour of Flanders as a big outsider. A rider who can both fight for the win or be out of contention early on, the Briton will be an unpredictable figure in the Belgian race. As always, he was quite direct with his words ahead of his first monument of the year.

“It’s not complicated, I can either follow or I can’t. So I hope it’s the former," Pidcock said this Friday. He's one of the riders who has in the past battled with van Aert, van der Poel and Pogacar who are set to be the main favourites in Flanders. Those three have shown that they’re all in top shape, and they made the race in E3. I think everyone expects them to make the race on Sunday, and I know I want to be with them as well, in the final.”

The Briton suffered a concussion at Tirreno-Adriatico, breaking the form he had gathered until then which saw him win Strade Bianche. He returned to racing only at the recent Dwars door Vlaanderen where he looked to be competitive but couldn't make the decisive split and finished within the peloton. He is a rider to take into consideration, but won't be the sole leader in an INEOS lineup that also features Jhonatan Narváez and Ben Turner.

“I think I just missed the top end really, but I always struggle in my first race after a little period away," he said of his recent outing. "The lead into Dwars was not what we had planned so it wasn’t ideal, but not bad. I think I did some good training in the last week, and there’s no reason why it will be bad on Sunday. I think only time will tell.”