‘I'll come back stronger' vows Pidcock

Van der Poel takes the spoils, with Yorkshire star a disappointed fourth as he gears up for the road with new team Ineos, writes James Shrubsall

- James Shrubsall

“The sand was where I lost time – it doesn’t suit us Brits”

Britain’s Tom Pidcock promised he would come back stronger next year and put his rivals to the test, following the disappointment of missing out on the Cyclo-Cross World Championship podium last weekend.

Coming in fourth in the elite race, held at Ostend in Belgium, was “a big disappointment”, he said. It came after a major tussle with home rider Toon Aerts, who ultimately took bronze, 13 seconds ahead of the Yorkshire rider, on a sandy course on the North Sea shoreline. The race was won by Mathieu van der Poel, ahead of puncture-hit Wout van Aert – both of whom were streets ahead of their rivals.

“I think I’ll be even stronger next season,” Pidcock told Sporza at the finish. “Wout and Mathieu are four to five years older than me, so I have a little more time to grow. Hopefully, I can really put them to the test next year.

“I felt good today,” Pidcock added. “Some laps were good, some s**t. I came close to Toon Aerts, but unfortunately not close enough.

RESULTS

ELITE MEN

1, Mathieu van der Poel NED 58.57;

2, W. van Aert BEL at 37sec;

3, T. Aerts BEL at 1.24.

British: 4, T. Pidcock at 1.37.

ELITE WOMEN