Amstel Gold Race made Pidcock decide to let Evenepoel go: “Legs became increasingly heavy”

For Pidcock, a second place in Liège, after his third place in the Amstel Gold Race, was another boost – especially since he had doubts if he could handle the race hours, prior to the start of La Doyenne. "Of course it has gotten into my head a bit, but it shouldn't influence me too much," he told IDLProCycling.com.

A few days later, he is standing on the podium of a monument with a big smile on his face. "I can't be disappointed after my first podium for a monument. I don't think I could have done more. When Remco took off, at a certain point I had to decide whether I would stay in his wheel until I exploded – or I had to wait and focus on second place."

"I decided to go for the latter," the man from Yorkshire added. "After the Amstel Gold Race, I was a bit unsure if I should go along with him. On the second climb, my legs became increasingly heavy, so I decided to let him go." During the Dutch classic, Pidcock completely overdid it on the Keutenberg when trying to follow Pogacar, which he then paid for dearly. The Brit still finished third in the Amstel, but the last twenty kilometers were quite a hellish ride for him towards Berg en Terblijt.

The fact that Evenepoel won Liège-Bastogne-Liège was anything but a surprise to Pidcock: "Soudal Quick-Step was showing that they would take control right off the bat. They made it into a very tough race. Remco was the strongest, but I'm satisfied with my second place. On the Redoute, I tried to follow Remco, but I quickly realized that I would be better off focusing on second place."

When asked, Pidcock also gave his overall review of this spring season: "Of course, I want more, but for now, I'm satisfied. I missed Milan-Sanremo after that crash in Tirreno-Adriatico. But in the end, I won a classic and stood on the podium in two big races," he summed up. "I am very pleased with that. All the races in the Ardennes suit me, even more than the cobbled classics."

Tom van der Salm (Twitter: @TomvanderSalm)

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