{"id":26441,"date":"2025-04-17T03:17:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T03:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/26441\/"},"modified":"2025-04-17T03:17:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T03:17:11","slug":"pidcock-bracing-for-ardennes-showdowns-with-evenepoel-pogacar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/26441\/","title":{"rendered":"Pidcock bracing for Ardennes showdowns with Evenepoel, Poga\u010dar"},"content":{"rendered":"

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”><\/p>\n

Tom Pidcock<\/a> rejoins the fray this week in a decisive block of racing to prove he can take on and take down riders like Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> and Remco Evenepoel<\/a> across the Ardennes.<\/p>\n

Coming off some R&R and training camps after a frustrating crash at Milan-San Remo denied him a proper shot at the finale<\/a>, the double Olympic gold medalist is keen to show he deserves a place among the best in the elite men\u2019s peloton.<\/p>\n

After racing Friday against comeback kid Evenepoel at Brabantse Pijl<\/a>, Pidcock will be on a collision course with Poga\u010dar for the rest of April.<\/p>\n

Amstel Gold Race<\/a>, La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne and Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge<\/a> will see Pidcock squaring off against half of the \u201cBig 4.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also read<\/strong>: Pidcock: \u2018I\u2019ve been let off my lead\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s hoping to pick up on what\u2019s been a spectacular start to 2025.<\/p>\n

A first-ever GC win and trading blows with Poga\u010dar over the gravel roads of Tuscany early this season zipped the lips of any critics over his high-profile move to Q36.5 Pro Cycling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A strong showing to close out the spring classics could see him elbowing up the hierarchy<\/a> just as he and the team prepare to pivot toward the Giro d\u2019Italia, after the team earned a wild-card invite (and the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a as well).<\/p>\n

Velo recently caught up with longtime coach and mentor Kurt Bogaerts to take the temperature on his star pupil\u2019s season so far:<\/p>\n

\u2018Tom is a better rider than last year\u2019
\n\"KurtBogaerts, right, joins Pidcock at a press conference. (Photo: DAVID PINTENS \/ Belga \/ AFP) \/ Belgium OUT)<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> Tom\u2019s had a great spring. What\u2019s been the highlight for you, just looking at his performances?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I think more like a general improvement of Tom, and I think he\u2019s just a better rider at the moment compared with last year. He\u2019s performing consistently on a higher level. I don\u2019t think there are particular highlights, but just consistent high-level. I think that\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> He\u2019s been switching hats between stage racing and one-days. Does that have to change his preparation and training?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I think Tom is a versatile rider. Tom is not a rider who particularly goes for one type of racing. He really loves the general racing. When we go to a race, we try to perform, and if there\u2019s a stage race or a one-day race, we try to make a plan to be in the game for the podium or to win.<\/p>\n

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Famille d\u2019accueil de Pidcock en Belgique, Kurt Bogaerts en est aussi un entra\u00eeneur historique : \u201cLa prochaine \u00e9tape, c\u2019est de gagner un monument\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/izYrSXkZbz<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qOZ7AQ0dFo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Les Sports + (@lessportsplus) March 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Velo:<\/strong> He\u2019s had early wins and consistent performances. Is that a result of many factors, like the new team, leadership, and support?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I think changing environment is definitely giving him new energy. I think, yeah, he\u2019s also a year older, a lot more experienced in the racing, and I think he had a good winter. I think that\u2019s a boring point, but that\u2019s most of the time the most important point\u2014how you do your winter. If you can do a consistent block of training without getting injured or sick, then basically you build on the day before. And that kind of happened a little bit along the season, that he could go from race to race and had no setbacks.<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> And that matters even more in a season like this?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> That\u2019s a strong point that you don\u2019t have under control, your health. You can do a lot, I think, if you look after yourself. But with Tom, he stayed healthy and definitely benefited from that.<\/p>\n

\u2018He made a massive step forward\u2019
\n\"Pidcock\"Pidcock is used to the pressure that comes with the limelight. (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> Going head-to-head against Poga\u010dar at Strade Bianche; there aren\u2019t many people who can do that, what\u2019s that say about Pidcock right now?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I think he made a massive step forward, and he showed courage, the courage that you want to see from a good rider. That will bring him success sooner or later. But I think there you also see his progress as a rider. If you can ride with the best rider in the world for a long time, and you\u2019re not afraid to cooperate, and then the best guy wins, that just shows where we are at the moment.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s with the better riders at the moment, but he\u2019s not the best. There\u2019s work to do to still try to close the gap. You don\u2019t know if that\u2019s possible or not, but we have the ambition and belief that it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

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PRIME. TIME.<\/p>\n

Tadej Pogacar and Tom Pidcock have gone full speed, and they\u2019ve left everyone in the dust! #StradeBianche<\/a> @CA_Ita<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xD1PAeegWU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) March 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Velo:<\/strong> How important was it psychologically to have this early success, especially with the pressure of the transfer?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a problem for him, but winning is always nice. I think Tom would like to win. It\u2019s not easy for him to win, as he does not have a sprint that can beat everyone. So, when you don\u2019t have a winning sprint, it\u2019s difficult in cycling. Then you basically need to be a lot better than second to be able to ride away. That\u2019s not so easy.<\/p>\n

But winning is always good for you and for the team. Then it shows that you\u2019re working in the right direction. Winning always gives a unique energy and boost, and you can\u2019t deny that it helps. But in the end, I think he knows what he\u2019s capable of and how to prepare. If the win was not coming early, we would just continue working.<\/p>\n

\u2018Frustrating you can\u2019t show what you have\u2019
\n\"Pidcock\"Another battle with Poga\u010dar looms in the Ardennes. (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> There was some frustration at Milan-San Remo. He was caught behind the crash going into the Cipressa?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> Yeah. When you work towards a goal, and it was his last race from a big block, and then you hit the deck at a crucial point, well \u2026 we analyzed a lot of what happened. I think he was not in the best position, but he was not in a bad place. He was like 25th position. We got all the pictures from when he hit the ground.<\/p>\n

Of course, you could be better placed. When you\u2019re first into Cipressa, it\u2019s less risk. But 25th place, I think Poga\u010dar, at the moment of the crash, was 10 places behind him. He was on the right side. Tom was on the left side. So it\u2019s just frustrating that you can\u2019t show what you have in you on the day.<\/p>\n

In the end, if you see the race circumstance, there would have been a really good scenario for Tom to be in the mix. So it\u2019s unfortunate. He took a little bit of time off. Next races are the classics, then the Giro.<\/p>\n

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Tom #Pidcock<\/a> gan\u00f3 la #AmstelGoldRace<\/a> un d\u00eda como hoy hace un a\u00f1o, \u00bfpodr\u00e1 repetir o tendremos nuevo campe\u00f3n este domingo? pic.twitter.com\/ZZwJI8ckW1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN Ciclismo (@ESPNCiclismo) April 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Velo:<\/strong> What\u2019s the approach for the Ardennes?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> Now we try to be in our best possible preparation for this block of racing in the Ardennes \u2014 Brabantse Pijl, Amstel, Fl\u00e8che, Li\u00e8ge. I think it\u2019s good that you work towards a period where you have not one chance but potentially four chances to try to do a big performance. So that it\u2019s not everything on one race. I think there are four races with characteristics that suit him. He likes these races, and it makes sense, also knowing that he raced early this season. So he took a small break to refresh.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not closing doors at Giro d\u2019Italia\u2019
\n\"PidcockPidcock of Arabia? The 2025 season couldn\u2019t have started off better for him with GC win at the AlUla Tour. (Photo: LOIC VENANCE\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Velo:<\/strong> Is the plan to go to the Giro d\u2019Italia to chase stage wins?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> We\u2019ll see. I think we are free. We have no pressure. We have ambition \u2014 high ambitions \u2014 and we\u2019ve said there is no limitation factor. Let\u2019s go step by step, and see how he gets through the first week or so, how the mental and physical freshness is. Then we make a plan. But when you have a racing block with goals already in the first part of the season, like the classics and Milan-San Remo, then it\u2019s not set in stone to go with ambition for GC.<\/p>\n

The nice thing with Tom is that when he\u2019s in a good frame of mind and healthy, he can explore the race and see what\u2019s in it for him. I wouldn\u2019t close any doors. It\u2019s definitely a goal to develop him as a GC rider. A grand tour again would be really important to continue the growth. For him, a grand tour for the first time after a big block of racing could make him a lot stronger for the future.<\/p>\n

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La Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a confirma la invitaci\u00f3n a Burgos Burpellet BH, Caja Rural \u2013 Seguros RGA y Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team para la edici\u00f3n del 2025.#LaVuelta25<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/94T3i8R0nz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Marcelo Gallo O. (@Marcelo_GalloO) April 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Velo:<\/strong> What are your final thoughts on Poga\u010dar racing Paris-Roubaix?
Bogaerts:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s nice for the sport that this is coming back, these versatile riders trying new things. I grew up with Sean Kelly. He was the type of rider who did both the classics and the grand tours. Now you see some riders have the physical capabilities to do it, and they\u2019re doing it. I think it\u2019s massive for the sport. You can only encourage it.<\/p>\n

There is a high risk involved, but not more than in any other race. We saw last year in the Basque Country, it was a massive crash, and many key riders were out with long-term injuries. The risks are what they are. As a sport, as riders, and as teams, we need to think about how to minimize those risks. But I don\u2019t see [Roubaix] as particularly more dangerous than any other race.<\/p>\n

\"Pidcock\"Pidcock, right, is elbowing up the WorldTour hierarchy. (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n