Unfortunately, @tompidcock has had to withdraw from the Koksijde, Hexia Cross Gullegem and Zonhoven CX races this week due to illness. Rest up Tom and we’ll see you back racing again soon.
Michel Wuyts on Tom Pidcock: "They preach regularity, but do not find it"
CyclocrossSaturday, 06 January 2024 at 10:58
Tom Pidcock had a strong start to his cyclocross season and took an impressive victory in Namur despite adversity. However since, he's been a shadow of himself in several races, and his inconsistency is point out by Michel Wuyts.
"The proud Grenadiers have become idle shooters. "Ban the fuss about the 'Big Three'. It has been completely exhausted. Van Aert saves the big things for later, Pidcock doesn't feel like it yet either. The British are the vicissitudes themselves," Michel Wuyts told Het Laatste Nieuws. "Win once nicely, lose once in six minutes. You don't improvise crossing. Anyone who does not have enough basics will lose weight and become ill. Strange guys by the way, Tom and his alleged coach Bogaerts. They preach regularity, but do not find it. See Pidcock's amazing raid on the Strade Bianche last year. After that came only a second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a world title in mountain biking. In between, a lot of waste. Pidcock is heading towards the image of Team Ineos: changeable, chaotic, often immature. The proud Grenadiers have become idle shooters."
Wuyts analysis goes beyond the cyclocross part of the team and argues that the same has happened on the road. However he is aware that this was because of accidents that have happened within the team as well. 'Successive disasters plagued the team. In June 2019, figurehead Froome broke his femur, hip and elbow. Froome literally fell away. It could be worse: in January 2022, successor Bernal shattered twenty of his bones in a collision in Colombia," he acknowledges. "Bernal fights back hopelessly. In between, the greatest drama took place. In March 2020, Nicolas Portal died after a heart attack. The 40-year-old Portal was considered the most empathetic among the team leaders. Bernal labeled him irreplaceable. In three years, the central axis of Ineos fell apart. The reconstruction is still underway."
He points out positives, but work is underway. Pidcock in the meantime has put a pause in his cyclocross season due to illness. Whilst he didn't fare well in the sandy races of the Christmas block, all the way into Diegem there were strong performances, but from there on that was not the case. Poor starts also harmed his results, such as the crash he suffered in Hulst.
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- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024
- “During a TT, I am basically blind”. That was his quote after crashing into the barriers in a TT. The problem isn’t the UCI, radios or air bags. The problem is the riders and their teams.JoeyB22-12-2024
- I think you overestimate scientific knowledge and for sure the spreading of it. There are huge numbers of people in similar situations, if there were an easy solution somebody would be making big money out of it. Nerve pain can have many complex origins or be due to complex combinations of reasons. Even if you discover a reason there is not always a solution. Migraines haven’t been solved either. I have had lower back/hip nerve pains on and off for over 30 years, no kind of doctor has ever found a way to reduce, prevent or solve the problem. It may just be that some people are born with nerves that are too short or get twisted out of position during certain movements.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- Amazing ride by her and very promising for her future. On a side note, it’s a bit worrying all these wins riders have after emotional moments in their lives, someone will come up with emotional doping at some point. Maybe give them fake news just before a big race to get hormones pumping.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- I doubt he will have the energy to do that if he continues to do leadout for Phillipsenabstractengineer22-12-2024
- I know several people who’ve tried contacting sport airbag manufacturers and none of them ever got a reply. Might be hard to organise anything with such attitudes.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- It's the BBC. Who cares outside of little Britain.leodis22-12-2024