Speaking to Cycling Weekly on Sunday evening Pidcock said: “I’ve never, ever felt pressure like the Olympics. That was pretty insane, the amount of pressure and stress that an Olympic Games brings… So the Worlds isn’t going to be – it can’t be – anything like that. Now I think everything else is relatively tranquil compared to the Olympics.”
The Brit returned to racing on Saturday after an extended block of training. But it was not the triumphant return he might have hoped for ahead of his bid to become the first ever Brit to become world champion in the discipline. At X2O Trofee Hamme he was fifth after multiple crashes, including losing a gap he had built when he hit his shoe on a post.
“It was really slick on some of those corners,” he said. “I crashed on the first lap, it wasn’t on camera but it was at speed as well. And then I punctured, then made 15 mistakes and crashed again.”
Then on Sunday at the World Cup at Hoogerheide, Pidcock found himself on his own in the lead early on but the group behind worked well to bring him back and he eventually finished third.
He said: “At the end of the day there’s only one race that matters [the Worlds]. I’m a bit disappointed about today but I’m not down about it.”
Denne historien er fra January 27, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
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Denne historien er fra January 27, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
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REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain