With one fun training session in Mallorca in his unshaven legs, Tom Pidcock makes his comeback in cyclo-cross and how!

Tom Pidcock crossed the finish line in Herentals in second place. The British rider, like Mathieu van der Poel, made his return to cyclo-cross and, like the Dutchman, managed to finish on the podium. The INEOS Grenadiers rider was quite surprised by this achievement, as he shared after the race.

"I'm a bit surprised," Pidcock said during the post-race interview. "Second place is good, so I'm happy. I made the best of it." Behind Van der Poel's solo show, Pidcock won the sprint from a small group for the second spot. "In the first two to three laps, I had to find my way. But gradually, I made it to the front."

Pidcock then continued, to ponder the reasons behind his performance that led to a podium finish. "I don't know why, but it was good. I surprised myself," the cyclo-cross racer admitted. Unlike previous years, Pidcock was immediately in contention for the top spots, something he hadn't managed in the past years.

To IDLProCycling.com and other media outlets, the man from Leeds explained his preparation for the cyclo-cross race in Herentals. "'I did one cyclo-cross training, three weeks ago," said Pidcock, who traveled directly from Mallorca to Belgium. "Other than that, I just had fun with the team before coming here."

"I even forgot to shave my legs," he said with a broad laugh. "But my level was good. I was relaxed and enjoyed myself, which is great. I'm looking forward to gauging my performance during the Christmas season," the runner-up behind Van der Poel shared.

Tom Pidcock talks about skipping the World Championships and his anticipation for Namur

The day after Herentals, Pidcock is set to compete again in a cyclo-cross race at the World Cup in Namur. "I really like that circuit," the ex-world champion in cyclo-cross looks ahead. "I'm aiming for a good recovery and hoping to put up a strong performance there; it's usually a good track for me."

As for a world championship? Is that still a possibility, now that he's seen he can compete for the podium? "The World Championships are late in the season. As I said before, I want to focus on the road season. I'm competing in cyclo-cross now for myself and the fans. So, for this year, it's a no, but for the future... Well, for this year it is."

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe