'First time I'm fully built up' - Tom Pidcock excited for road season after training block

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) says he is “fully built up” for the start of the road season for the first time in his career after a condensed cyclo-cross campaign. Pidcock missed out on defending his cyclo-cross world title earlier in February, instead choosing to bank a solid training block ahead of the spring Classics. In his absence, Mathieu van der Poel edged Wout van Aert in a thrilling duel in Hoogerheide, Netherlands.

Ad The 23-year-old is hoping his decision will pay dividends, with Pidcock scheduled to start his Classics campaign at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad next weekend. Volta ao Algarve'First time I'm fully built up' — Pidcock excited for road season after training block23 MINUTES AGO “I’ve had a long build-up,” Pidcock told Eurosport ahead of Stage 3 at Volta ao Algarve. “Five weeks training almost and I think it’s the first time I’ve come into a road season where I’m fully built up for the first race.

“Normally I finish cross, I have two weeks training and then I come to a race hoping I’ll be OK. It’s a bit different. “Not doing the Worlds, there was a bit of FOMO [fear of missing out] watching that on TV.

It’s nice to come into the road season pretty prepared.” Cavendish could race Giro before Tour de France record bid 'No point risking it' — Bernal to miss Vuelta a Andalucia due to knee injury The multi-talented rider won Olympic mountain bike gold, the cyclo-cross world title and triumphed on Alpe d’Huez after a descending masterclass at the Tour de France during a stunning 12-month spell. He has not hidden his desire to compete for the yellow jersey in future and he could be in the frame for Ineos leadership duties in 2023, with the team thought to favour a three-pronged attack again. But before Grand Tour