"I'm having a bit of trouble with the distance this year" - Tom Pidcock fades to third at Amstel Gold Race

Despite a valiant effort to keep the wheel of the eventual winner Tadej Pogacar, Tom Pidcock eventually faded and only just managed to hold on to third at the Amstel Gold Race and he admits the distance of races are beginning to trouble him.

“I really had nothing left at the end. I'm having a bit of trouble with the distance this year," the INEOS Grenadiers rider explained to Cycling Pro Net in a post-race interview. "Missing Milan-Sanremo plays a role, but it is the sum of small things. Those last twenty kilometers were a very long stretch for me, but yes… All in all it was a good day."

Following being dropped by Pogacar, Pidcock regrouped with 22-year-old Irishman Ben Healy. Soon however, it was the EF Education-EasyPost rider's turn to leave Pidcock in his dust. "It's a nice surprise, but I know how strong he is. I used to race with him at Trinity and he helped me win the Baby Giro," Pidcock says of Healy. So I know how good he is, so it's no surprise to me. It was nice to see him up front."

Pidcock was also full of praise for the simply dominant Pogacar. “He has shown how strong he is. I think he switched bikes on one of the slopes, but he came back very quickly," he says. "As I said before the race: he is the rider you should not keep an eye on. When he attacks, it goes fast. Sometimes you just can't help it."