Tom Pidcock still not fully recovered from stomach bug but takes confidence from Gent-Wevelgem ride

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote”} }”>

WEVELGEM, Belgium (VN) — Tom Pidcock completed his first race since February at Gent-Wevelgem.

Pidcock was 67th at 1:56 behind winner Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Goubert), however he was merely comfortable to have accomplished the 249km race.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider has been laid off for a lot of March with a abdomen bug, which pressured him to skip Strade Bianche and abandon Milan-San Remo after being dropped inside the ultimate 40 kilometers.

“It was a really laborious day. After all, it’s a traditional, they’re actually laborious races,” Pidcock mentioned. “It was a tough day, however I’m fairly happy the way it went for me. I no less than completed and that’s a very good signal going ahead.”

Pidcock was up within the entrance group for a lot of the race however acquired misplaced within the shuffle because the pack approached the ultimate ascent of the Kemmelberg with just below 40 kilometers remaining. Not like Milan-San Remo, it didn’t show terminal and he was in a position to make it to Wevelgem.

“It exhibits I’ve lacked a whole lot of racing. Right now I used to be struggling,” he mentioned on the line. “I used to be feeling superior the primary time up the Kemmelberg, after which I used to be simply not. It’s a very good begin, and it provides me a very good base. I used to be going full-gas right now, even once I was dropped, I used to be nonetheless going full-gas to see the place I used to be off. I’m nonetheless far off. I’ve to take a look at the optimistic aspect.”

Whereas Pidcock was racing to complete, Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay made historical past as the primary African to win the one-day traditional. The 21-year-old Girmay is racing his first full cobbled classics marketing campaign and was making his debut on the race.

“It’s very nice to see. I already mentioned nicely performed to him within the race for the outcomes he’s been getting already,” he mentioned. “Now he wins, and this can be a huge race. This man is from Africa and he’s going to be the face of this sport in Africa. It’s nice for the game.”

Regardless of a stable return to racing motion, Pidcock isn’t out of the woods simply but along with his well being points as he struggles to soak up the diet he wants throughout a race. He hopes that this may change quickly, however there’s no particular timeframe for restoration and it’s all about persistence for him.

“I used to be feeling actually good. I used to be caught behind a crash and I got here again, and I used to be on the entrance of the Kemmelberg on the primary time. That was a giant effort and perhaps I paid for it in a while,” he mentioned. “I’ve fine condition, however I believe it’s my abdomen, it may’t take within the carbs on the finish of the race and I used to be suffered for that.

“I don’t know once I will probably be again at my regular self. We do what we are able to and we hope it is going to be as quickly as attainable.”

Pidcock mentioned staff docs and staffers are nonetheless making an attempt to determine what’s the issue, including that it had beforehand taken a very long time to get better from abdomen bugs up to now.

“We’re probably not positive. My liver is just not processing issues very nicely. It simply takes time to heal. Up to now once I was youthful, it hit me fairly laborious,” he mentioned. “I did a blood and urine checks, it was excessive fats content material. To be sincere, I don’t know the main points. It’s not regular, however we do what we are able to to repair it.”

Ben Turner leads residence Ineos Grenadiers

Ben Turner led residence Ineos Grenadiers with twenty eighth on the line. He was the one rider from the staff to complete within the entrance chase group.

“I’m actually comfortable. The legs have been phenomenal right now and there was no plan for me to be there like that,” Turner mentioned. “I adopted the strikes on the Kemmelberg, and after the cut up, I simply saved making an attempt and making an attempt. When you’ve got good legs it’s simply wonderful to race like that.”

The WorldTour rookie was twenty seventh at E3 Saxo Financial institution Basic on Friday, after serving to to salvage the race for the staff when it missed the cut up on the Taaienberg, and Sunday’s distance was the longest race he’s performed since thus far in his brief profession.

“They advised us final night time the entire distance was 260km with impartial, I believed, oh no,” he mentioned. “In the long run it was all proper, however I’m a giant man, in order that’s going to take it out of me. There’s no secret that Jumbo are actually robust proper now.”