It's 10th on the line for @tompidcock after a frantic run-in at #LBL. The Brit and @Eganbernal came home in a much reduced group behind lone winner Pogacar (UAE) after a tough day in the Ardennes 👊
Tom Pidcock disappointed with lack of top result at Liège: "This week I broke all kinds of records during training"
CyclingMonday, 22 April 2024 at 10:52
Ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tom Pidcock hit record numbers in training but kept it a secret. He hoped to go for the win this Sunday, but was left with a 10th spot that in no way fulfilled his ambitions in what was the last of the spring classics.
The INEOS Grenadiers rider's race was not the luckiest simultaneously. A big crash split the race with 95 kilometers to go and although he was in the front part of the split, he punctured shortly after and was forced to begin an unnecessary chase. Together with Mauri Vansevenant he managed to work his way back through the peloton, but was annoyed to find out the group he had attacked from returned with the help of the convoy quite a lot.
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“I had to make a huge effort there. I just heard that other riders were able to return behind the car. That's frustrating," the Briton admitted in a post-race interview. "I went very deep there, cutting off my own legs. That was a shame. Because I didn't say too much about it before this race, but this week I broke all kinds of records during training. I went really well.”
The efforts he made in this part of the race ended up being key for his result, as he no longer had the legs to match attacks when they began at the Côte de la Redoute. In fact, a Top10 in itself was quite unlikely, and only made possible as he collaborated with among others Mathieu van der Poel to return to the chasing group in the final kilometers.
He made it to a tenth spot on the road, but even in that sprint he was put in a bad spot: “The sprint was very hectic. I wasn't even really sprinting, I was boxed in. I had to find my way. Am I satisfied with the shape? The legs are good, I know that. It's frustrating, but that's how it is.” His calendar for the spring on the roads ends here, although he may soon take on some MTB events in anticipation to the Olympic Games.
On Egan Bernal, who rode an aggressive race but finished far behind in the group, Pidcock commented on: “It's so nice to see him racing like this again. He has had to go through more than I can imagine. It was very nice that he was there. Who knows what might have been possible if it had gone smoothly. We could have played two cards.”
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