"It was of little use" - Tom Pidcock shattered after battle with van der Poel being wrecked by mechanical
Cyclocross
The terrain in Hulst looked favourable for Tom Pidcock to fight for the victory, but as he was battling with Mathieu van der Poel in the final lap he suffered a mechanical issue and abandoned shortly after. He talked about the incident afterwards.
Talking to Het Nieuwsblad following the race, Pidcock said about his mechanical: “I don't know exactly what happened either. I think I hit something, maybe that post or maybe something else. I'm not quite sure. My wheel broke after that. I walked for a while, but it was still far, it was of little use."
Pidcock had a calmer start, and was within the leading group early on in the race. He stood clear with Laurens Sweeck at first, however would be forced to chase the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider later in the race, taking advantage of his descending skills to gain time on the competition. He entered the final lap only seconds behind van der Poel, but he suffered a bent wheel and crashed into the course barriers in a small bank descent.
He jumped over the barriers soon after, far away from the pits, and unconcerned with the UCI points. After the race however, having his off-season in full motion, he took the road bike and road back home together with his brother Joe Pidcock who also competed in the day. “It was planned to ride home with my brother. Today the cross was done early, so we had that chance. I think it's about 60 km home," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
- He's another guy that got caught up in the hype for GC at GT's. That's a fool's errand for most riders. Clearly, he's in the right spot now, looking at what he's done as a team domestique. Regularly blowing apart the peloton, and in particular, his ride at World's was stellar.Occam11-11-2026
- The conditions there were absolutely heavenly. No wonder that Vanthourenhout was literally sucked into the ground. I think Mason and Wyseure are very similar types of riders. We've seen that when Vanthourenhout has been in a similar position to where Mason was, and Wyseure has had the legs, he's been able to power his way back. But that's not quite possible when Mason is putting out more power in front.
Rafionain-Glas11-11-2026 - What a win! It's been been so long in the waiting but I'm so glad for Cameron that he's finally got that victory. Sad to see Brand crash out like that. It didn't look too bad initially but there was clearly something very wrong. It could be like van Aert's last yearRafionain-Glas11-11-2026
- since you called pidcock pogi's BIG RIVAL in another article a few days ago ... i guess adding ciccone to the mix makes him almost unbeatable, no?Ketterechts11-11-2026
- 🤣🤣🤣what a headlineabstractengineer11-11-2026
- When you have four or five guys who are defined leaders of teams that are winning races or at least placing highly in big races, a lot of guys who are racing will not be seen as assets to those teams. If they can't be part of the program then they are let go. I remember back if you won a single stage of the Tour and maybe had a good classic result you would have a cemented place on a team. That is not the case now in the era we live in because the top guys are so good and their goals are so defined. It's bad in a way for them but good for us as fans.awp11-11-2026
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Gutted for Tom. The course bit hard in Hulst and unfortunately, with a damaged wheel and a long way to the finish, he is forced to abandon out of second place #CXWorldCup
With two laps to go @tompidcock sits in second place in Hulst. He's pushing hard, 11 seconds back on Van der Poel in this #CXWorldCup
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