Ineos Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock explains 'stupid mistake' at Tour of Flanders that cost him a shot at victory

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 03/04/2023 at 18:33 GMT

Tadej Pogacar won the Tour of Flanders on Sunday in a thrilling race, but one of the pre-race contenders - Ineos Grenadiers' rider Tom Pidcock - failed to make an impression with a 52nd-place finish. The Briton took to social media on Monday to explain the reason for his underperformance, which had been due to an insufficient intake of food for the race.

Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock lamented his “stupid mistake” of failing to eat enough for the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.

That error contributed to the British team failing to land a single rider in the top 20 on the day, with an even worse result for Ben Turner, who fractured his arm.

Pidcock was one of the favourites for a good showing, though he would have done well to beat any of Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in Belgium.

Olympic Games Paris 2024

‘I need fresh things’ - Pidcock sees no end to mixing up cycling disciplines

01/05/2024 at 09:31

In the end, the 23-year-old Brit finished way down in 52nd, and in a post on his Instagram, he looked back on his errors.

He wrote: "What a job these boys [his team] did yesterday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t repay them. It was all mint until I had a complete hunger flat.

"I’m amazed I even made it to the finish. A stupid mistake, but there’s always next year. Get well soon Ben Turner."

• Britain's Hayter wins Stage 1 at Itzulia Basque Country to take race lead
• 'Real cycling' - Merckx says Pogacar 'can win everything' in the sport
• Pogacar is 'incredibly scary prospect' for every rider - Lloyd

Pidcock has had a mediocre cobbled season, suffering a concussion at Tirreno-Adriatico which forced him out of the E3 Saxo Classic, and then Milan-San Remo. One bright spot was his victory at Strade Bianche and a stage victory in Portugal’s Volta ao Algarve.

Tom Pidcock celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 17th one-day classic Strade Bianche, Siena, Tuscany, on March 4, 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

With Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège ahead, he is turning his attention to the future.

"A couple weeks at home now and then back for the Ardennes," Pidcock added.

- - -

Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

Amstel Gold Race Men

'No photo finish needed today' - Pidcock banishes ghosts of 2021

14/04/2024 at 18:47

Amstel Gold Race Men

Pidcock claims thrilling victory in sprint finish at Amstel Gold Race

14/04/2024 at 16:06

Paris - Roubaix Men

Pidcock says Paris-Roubaix 'a completely different beast' after top-20 finish on debut

08/04/2024 at 20:04