Tom Pidcock ‘will try to have fun’ ahead of Wout van Aert battle at Tour of Britain – ‘I always want to win’

Tom Pidcock has battled through a gruelling schedule already this summer, but he says he’s got at least one last push in him as the Tour of Britain begins on Sunday.

The 24-year-old is among the leading contenders for the race, which is live on Eurosport and discovery+, but admits he was feeling the strain of a packed 2023 calendar after competing in the Tour de France and the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Pidcock said: “I’m not on top form but I really needed a rest as I went full gas from the Tour [de France] straight to the worlds in Glasgow. But I’m not in a bad place.”

Pidcock will be aiming to challenge overall favourite Wout van Aert for glory on the eight-stage race.

The Brit said: “I’ll give it my best. I always want to win but I’ll just try to enjoy riding with my mates and see what we can get out of it.

“I’m sure the atmosphere will be brilliant. It’s always great racing in front of home crowds.”

The Leeds-born rider finished second in the overall classification last year, losing out to Spaniard Gonzalo Serrano.

Pidcock says that the route selected by race organisers is also less than ideal, and somewhat favours someone like Van Aert.

He said: “It’s not really the best route they could have come up with in my opinion. Monday’s stage in Wrexham is only 110km with a short climb not far from the finish so that could be quite a fun, fast day.

“But yeah, it’s not really ideal for me having so many sprint stages. It’s quite weighted towards [Van Aert’s] characteristics, especially with bonus seconds. It’s not a race where you race up Alpine climbs, so the time gaps are only going to be small.”

Van Aert has endured a frustrating season, a year of near-misses including a silver medal in Glasgow last month, and disappointments in Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France.

He will doubtless see the British tour as an opportunity to end that run of misfortune.

The 2023 edition of the race begins on Sunday in Lancashire, before heading to Wales, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire, and back to Wales for next weekend’s finale.