Tom Pidcock skips cyclocross World Championships title defense

The decision seemed to have been on the verge of being done, however now there is confirmation that reigning World Champion, Tom Pidcock, will not travel to Hoogerheide to defend his title.

Pidcock was the World Champion last year in Fayetteville, beating Lars van der Haar and Eli Iserbyt. In a fast track he had talked about how he was not likely to be able to match Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Furthermore, he has extensively talked about how he wants to prioritize the spring classics, and the two goals would clash.

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Pidcock's coach Kurt Bogaerts has revealed to Sporza during the X2O Trofee Baal race that he would not be present in Hoogerheide.

"Tom wont ride the World Championships. We decided that a while ago. We aim for a good campaign during the spring classics. The World Championships are in the way of that," he said. Pidcock finished third today in Baal at the GP Sven Nys after crashing inside the final lap, losing his lead.