"That’s the result of a good environment" - Tom Pidcock heads to Opening Weekend in career-best road form
Cycling
Tom Pidcock will be one of the favourites for victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this Saturday as Opening Weekend kicks off the Classics season for 2025 in earnest. Given the fact he heads to the race in the best road form of his career, Pidcock may even be considered the man to beat.
"I am very happy with where I am now and with my form. From here I can start to improve," assesses the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader of a season start that has already brought 4 victories, in conversation with Wielerflits. "We also remain cautious by not continuing to ‘push’ now. I have just had a fairly quiet week, because we don’t want to rush ourselves because of that super good start to the season. It is still going to be a very long season.”
When questioned if leaving the INEOS Grenadiers has been a catalyst for his success, Pidcock refuses to publicly trash his former employers. “Watch out, I also won some great races at INEOS Grenadiers, right? Much bigger ones too," he fired back. "Good numbers are one thing, but I’ve mainly become a better rider this past winter. I’m back to being the rider I was in my first years as a pro."
"That’s the result of a good environment with a new nutritionist and a new coach alongside Kurt Bogaerts. That made a big difference for me. Those are two people who had a big impact. It was a fresh start with fresh motivation, which gives me extra motivation to look at all the details," he continues. "It’s a new challenge, which I grabbed with both hands. That gives me energy. It was very easy to adapt to the team. When I joined the team, I also saw the motivation in all those guys, and a hundred percent dedication to do it my way. That’s very nice to see.”
And as mentioned, things could hardly have gone any better so far. "It was very important for me to start well right away, and I succeeded. I would like to take that with me to the classics. But I also have a kind of 'mindset' that I immediately forget such things and focus on the future and the upcoming races. That is behind me and seems to have happened in the distant past,” he evaluates. "The Vuelta a Andalucia was a very tough race, with a lot of hills. That was at least a good preparation, with days where you had to deliver a lot of power. The AlUla Tour was a bit different and less difficult. But on the other hand, it is also a very different effort than in the classics, I know that too. I know now that my form is very good.”
“I mainly want to know how I do on the climbs. That will largely determine my feeling after the Omloop," Pidcock concludes. "If I do well on the hills, then I will definitely be happy. That would be a big improvement compared to last year. Delivering power in the saddle is not my specialty. If I have improved in that, then we have done a good job.”
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