"Mathieu van der Poel has been on another level so far, just a league of his own" - Tom Pidcock realistic about victory chances before cyclocross return in Benidorm

For the final time this winter, Tom Pidcock takes to the cross this Sunday at the UCI World Cup in Benidorm. Having missed the last few races due to illness however, the INEOS Grenadiers sensation is realistic about his chances of victory.

"I'm healthy again and I feel fit on the bike, which is what I've been focusing on lately. The time around Christmas was strange. After training camp, I was a little sick, but ultimately I never felt like the best version of myself," Pidcock tells In de Leiderstrui. "I'm not very fit, but I still wanted to ride here. The crowd here is great and I'm really looking forward to it, even though I've only touched my cross bike once.”

Although Pidcock's winter cyclocross campaign had already been shorter than usual, a bout of illness mid-season ensured even fewer crosses for the Brit. "It was annoying to have to say goodbye to the field earlier, but I would also have liked to cross more from the front," he explains. "But on the other hand, I was also relieved: I was fighting a fight that I couldn't win. Between the races, I couldn't deliver any power at all. We did moto pacing training and normally I would go fifty or sixty kilometres an hour, but now I could only go forty. I wasn't sick, I was just weak."

In his seven outings this campaign (before Benidorm), Pidcock has a one victory to his name from the UCI World Cup in Namur and a further three podiums. Sadly for the 24-year-old however, his old rival, Mathieu van der Poel has been utterly dominant. "Mathieu van der Poel has been on another level so far," Pidcock admits. "Just a league of his own. He is very impressive, I can't say much else about him."