Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) admitted there was "work to do" after he failed to follow the winning move at De Brabantse Pijl ahead of his attempt to challenge Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) throughout the Ardennes Classics.
It was the latter, Evenepoel, that brought the suffering to Pidcock at Friday's one-day race, with the Belgian's attack on the Holstheide dropping him into the chase group that fought out the final podium spot behind the Olympic champion and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Pidcock wasn't shocked to see Evenepoel move away, even in his return to racing from sustaining several injuries from a crash in December, and simply didn't have the punch to follow when he and Van Aert made the selection in the final 50km.
"The first lap was, I think, where the race was always going to happen. Everyone had teammates to make the race hard enough to split it, I just lacked a bit of explosivity today," said Pidcock to CyclingProNet at the finish.
"I was alright, just when it went really hard, I was suffering, it's OK."
Pidcock finished the day in 11th after things came back together for a sprint for third place, acknowledging that he couldn't do what Evenepoel did in his first race back after altitude camp and a long break after Milan-San Remo.
"I think it's always quite similar that I struggle in my first race, you know, I can't come in like Remco," said Pidcock. "So I can be happy, but there's work to do."
After leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Q36.5, Pidcock has impressed with four wins for his new team and as one of the few riders able to follow Pogačar in 2025, acting as the last man standing at Strade Bianche before the world champion went solo. However, while he is expected to also be one of the key contenders heading into the Ardennes, the Brit revealed that he isn't quite up to his highest level yet.
"It took me a little bit of time to get over San Remo. I was pretty disappointed [because] I wanted to be in the front racing with Tadej and Mathieu, and it was a beautiful race that I felt like I could have been part of," said Pidcock before the start of Brabantse Pijl.
"I've been at altitude and it's definitely been more difficult training. I've struggled to find my rhythm, but I feel really good now coming back to sea level. For sure, I know that my shape has been super good this year… and the team's fully committed, so let's go and get stuck in."
Those ambitions will be the same heading into his title defence at Amstel on Sunday, where he'll lead a Q36.5 lineup of Nick Zukowsky, Fabio Christen, Xabier Mikel Azparren, Milan Vader, Mark Donovan and Emīls Liepiņš, whose job will be to keep the Brit safe before he tries to follow the superstars.
"We had a great camp together with the riders for the Ardennes and with the Giro d’Italia longlist. I think we are all ready for these important races," said Pidcock's teammate Vader in a press release.
"I am going into the Amstel Gold Race with an open mind. I hope to stay with Tom throughout, make sure he is in the right place at the right time. Then it’s up to him and the legs of the day."
