Van der Poel can start in front for cyclo-cross return, but for Pidcock things are a little different

Wout van Aert was already present last Saturday, but this coming Saturday marks the return of Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. The Dutchman and the Brit will make their comeback in the field at the X2O Trofee in Herentals, where they will be kicking their seasons off from different starting rows.

Starting rows, Van der Poel and Pidcock: we remember that episode from last summer's Mountain Bike World Championships in Scotland. Against the wishes of some top mountain bikers, the two - same as Peter Sagan - pushed towards the front by a few rows, sparking a minor riot. Van der Poel eventually dropped out on the first lap of that race, while Pidcock triumphed gloriously in Glentress Forest.

This Saturday in Herentals, there will be less fuss about the starting positions. Van der Poel, who decided this weekend to move his comeback forward by a week, is currently 'simply' sixth on the UCI Ranking, as the winner of the World Championships and numerous other cross-country races last winter. This ensures him a spot in the first starting row. Van Aert, by the way, is ranked ninth, so if he resumes in two weeks in Mol and Antwerp, he might have to start from the second row.

Pidcock not on first starting row in Herentals

Then there's Tom Pidcock, who last participated in a cyclo-cross race on January 22nd of this year, back in Benidorm. He is ranked 39th in the world rankings, which means that we won't see him at the front at the starting line. Presumably, the Brit riding for INEOS Grenadiers will - in part depending on which of the riders that are ranked above him will also be participating in Herentals - end up in the third starting row, or even lower. Not that the man from Leeds will be overly concerned about this: his team has already indicated several times that this cyclo-cross winter is primarily focused on the road season, which means we won't be seeing Pidcock at the World Championships in the Czech Republic in early February.