After ending second and third in earlier editions of the Amstel Gold Race, Tom Pidcock lastly obtained to face on the highest step of the rostrum, as he took his first victory of the season forward of Marc Hirschi, Tiesj Benoot and Mauri Vansevenant within the dash to the road on the finish of a really attritional race.
Pidcock got here very near taking the victory at this race in 2021, narrowly lacking out to Wout van Aert in a photograph end that was later deemed to have been positioned within the incorrect place. Pidcock jokingly addressed this in his post-race interview, as he mentioned “I used to be going to say ‘yeah it’s nice to win for the second time’, however which may create some controversy”.
He additionally completed on the rostrum finally yr’s version behind Tadej Pogačar and Ben Healy, however didn’t have the legs on the day to comply with the Slovenian rider when he made his transfer. Subsequently, after two near-misses, this race would have been excessive up on the British rider’s record of targets for this season.
Pidcock has suffered some misfortune this season although, as a crash within the recon of the Itzulia Basque Nation opening time trial took him out of that race and the tough cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix final weekend left him with some extreme blistering on his palms, which he nonetheless but to recuperate from.
On what this victory means to him after the struggles he has confronted, he mentioned “it feels actually good. This yr has been so powerful, I made massive sacrifices being away from residence a lot, so to lastly put it collectively and get the palms within the air, it means loads”.
When requested why he enjoys racing on the Amstel Gold Race a lot, he replied “I don’t know. I at all times simply do a superb race right here. At present the workforce had been totally behind me and Kwiato [Michał Kwiatkowski] goes rather well, however he totally dedicated to me, so to have the ability to repay them is actually particular”.
Having gone into the ultimate few hundred metres in a bunch with three different riders, it was clear that the race could be determined by who had the quickest legs at that time. On whether or not he was assured going into the dash, Pidcock mentioned “half-and-half, my hand after Roubaix meant that this week I used to be struggling to dash, I had a whole lot of shoulder ache, as a result of I couldn’t maintain my bars correctly, so yeah I used to be not so assured that was the way it was going to finish up”.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider made the decisive break up on the Keutenberg with round 30km to go, shifting himself up within the group so as to put himself into a superb place to comply with the assaults once they finally got here, going clear with ten different riders earlier than bridging throughout to the 2 riders on the head of the race.
Talking about whether or not he sensed that will be a decisive second, Pidcock advised the interviewer “I did. I knew that this was going to be the entrance group, whether or not extra guys got here throughout I don’t know, however I knew this was going to be the ultimate right here”.
All eyes had been clearly on Mathieu van der Poel in the course of the race after his current victories on the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. When requested whether or not he was stunned that the World Champion had not made the entrance break up, Pidcock replied “I feel everybody was taking a look at one another at the moment within the race. I put in a single assault and folks adopted, after which one other one, Tiesj [Benoot] and another person was with us and we had been the final guys to go throughout to the entrance. It’s not at all times about legs at that time”.
Waiting for the remaining Ardennes Classics at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège subsequent week, Pidcock was requested what this victory means for the upcoming races, to which he responded “now that the stress’s off, we will simply go and race and do our greatest, and dare I say take pleasure in them. Though it in all probability gained’t be so satisfying once we’re in them. It’s an enormous reduction to be trustworthy”.
In 2023, Pidcock completed second behind Remco Evenepoel at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and he has beforehand completed as excessive as sixth at La Flèche Wallonne in 2021. He can be trying to go one higher than he did final yr at La Doyenne subsequent Sunday, as he continues to chase the primary Monument victory of his profession.
