This victory is, however, a small miracle when we know that less than two weeks ago, he had not started the Tour of the Basque Country following a big fall, due to the wind, during the reconnaissance of the inaugural time trial, in Irun. In a roundabout, a gust of wind carried his 58kg, throwing him violently to the ground.
The first images of the Briton had also suggested a major injury. In the end it was nothing of the sort. And even without the Basque week in his legs, Pidcock showed on the Dutch roads, eight days after his 17th place at Paris-Roubaix, he was not far from his best form.
”For several days after the fall, I was worriedmakes no secret of who is the first Briton to win the Amstel. But when the first tests revealed nothing serious, it did me good. Then I was quickly able to get back on my bike. And if I can ride, in my mind, I can race. When the pain went away, I was ready.”
Both physically and mentally, he was so good in the way he managed the race this Sunday. And after his second place in 2021, in the photo finish behind Wout van Aert, and his 3rd place in 2023, Pidcock finally took the first step of the podium. “I could say that this is already the second time that I have won, but I risk creating controversyhe smiled after the finish, still bitter about this millimeter defeat against van Aert. But my past experiences in this race taught me that it was terribly difficult, and that the sprint was often decisive, especially when the final takes place mainly with the wind in front.”
“The pressure is gone: now I just want to have fun”
This job allowed the Briton to win his first race of the season and beat Mathieu van der Poel who is therefore not unbeatable. Which obviously bodes very well for the mountain bike world champion. “My first part of the season was not easy but this victory takes the pressure off. Now I'm just going to run for fun.” Which could make him even more formidable.
