Former world champion Tom Pidcock will sit out the cyclocross season this winter as he gears up for a debut road campaign with his new team, Q36.5 Pro Cycling.
In early November Pidcock did not rule out the possibility of pinning on a race number over December and into January but has now confirmed he will not feature. Meanwhile, fellow former world champion Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) will race at least six times, with the final member of the 'big three', Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) riding 11 races.
Pidcock signed for Q36.5 earlier this month after leaving Ineos Grenadiers by mutual consent. To enable him to fully prepare for his first outing with the Swiss team he will not get muddy over the Christmas period.
Writing on Instagram, Pidcock confirmed that he has not ditched the discipline for good and will return to the field in the latter half of next year. Pidcock raced eight times last season, winning once.
"On Sunday I watched my first cyclocross of this season and it reminded me I should probably officially mention that this year, I will not race cyclocross," Pidcock wrote. "With a lot of change I want to make sure I have the time to settle into a new environment to get to know my new team and teammates well. But so far my plan will be to return to the field next year."
His announcement also means that next year’s World Championships will definitely feature just one of the cyclocross "big-three", Van der Poel. The Dutchman begins his season on Sunday as he builds towards the World Championships in Liévin, France, on 2 February.
Van Aert’s schedule has been reduced to enable him to compete for fitness purposes more than anything as he rebuilds his strength after crashing out of the Vuelta a España in the summer and suffering a serious knee injury. He took to the CX field nine times last season.
The Belgian will race for the first time on 23 December against Van der Poel in Mol, Belgium before wrapping up his brief campaign against his longstanding rival on 25 January in Massmechelen.
"Cyclocross remains my first love, which is why I enjoy returning to it every winter," Van Aert said. "This winter, we’ve opted for a compact schedule of six races that fit well into my training plan. It will be a cyclocross season I approach purely out of love for the sport, but with modest ambitions.
"After my crash in the Vuelta and my knee injury, it’s essential to make the best use of the time I have to prepare for the road season. A few cyclocross races fit nicely into that plan, but the schedule is deliberately more limited than in previous years."
Alongside the races in Mol and Maasmechelen, Van Aert will compete in events in Loenhout, Gullegem, Dendermonde and Benidorm. His reduced schedule means that he will come up against Van der Poel on just four occasions this season, including in just two UCI World Cup rounds.
