Tom Pidcock finished second on Thursday evening in the Superprestige won by Mathieu van der Poel in Diegem. The British rider from INEOS Grenadiers seemed to have to settle for a place on the lowest podium step, but in the end, he was cunning enough to claim second place by overtaking Eli Iserbyt in the last corner.
49 seconds. That was ultimately Pidcock's gap to Van der Poel, who once again dominated in Diegem. Somewhere, the 24-year-old cyclist anticipated another tough race against the Dutchman. "My legs are good, but still, I expect that I only have a small chance to beat Mathieu, especially since I don't start in the front row. For us to get a real race, he would have to wait for me. By the time I get to the front, Mathieu is probably already gone. Maybe I can only race for second place," the man from Leeds predicted before the sand race, speaking to IDLProCycling.com and other media outlets.
In the end, Pidcock's predictions were spot on. He found himself in the front group alongside the world champion and several others, but when MVDP dramatically accelerated mid-race after a masterful sandpit passage, Pidcock had no choice but to fall back. The race then essentially turned into a battle for the runner-up position. Reflecting on the race, Pidcock said, "Securing second place was really challenging. I anticipated Mathieu's move in the sand, but I struggled there myself. He did try to slow down a bit during the initial laps, but ultimately, Mathieu is just on another level," the all-around rider admitted.
Pidcock wasn't too satisfied with his sand passages. "I did get a bit irritated by them. But on the other hand: I haven't trained on sand sections at all this year. So, I really couldn't expect much. For me, the main thing was to focus on second place." Is there anything that can be done against Van der Poel? And if so, what? "Ride faster," Pidcock answers the question somewhat cynically. Is that feasible? "I don't know. Mathieu is miles ahead of the rest this season."