'I told everyone before the race: this is going to be nothing,' laughs Tom Pidcock after German outing

Tom Pidcock's spring is now well and truly over. The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider was one of the few to take on Eschborn-Frankfurt after Liège — but with good reason. After his crash in Catalonia, Frankfurt was the first race in which Pidcock finally felt like himself again, he told IDL Pro Cycling after the finish.

A.S.O. Germany got the star they wanted at the start. And he ended up on the podium alongside German champion Georg Zimmermann. "George came from behind in the sprint and I think he was just very strong — chapeau to him. The collaboration in the group was good too, but in the end it was pretty close."

Pidcock was happy to be there. "This was my first time in Frankfurt, without knowing exactly where I stood. But everyone was still watching us and the guys did really well. On the final climb I was quite far back, but I still came over the top near the front. I finally felt like my old self again after the crash."

That was exactly what he was looking for: confirmation. "Normally this would have been a rest week, but I changed things around a bit. I took some time to do other, enjoyable things — but since I was in Germany anyway, I decided to add this race in."

"Finishing second is a huge surprise," Pidcock said, grinning broadly. "I told everyone before the race: this is going to be nothing, you don't need to work for me — and then I go and finish second. That did surprise me somewhat. Although at Liège I also couldn't properly see where I stood because of a puncture mid-race."

After the crash in Catalonia and the whole process of not knowing, not being able to, and not being allowed to ride — Pidcock is now taking some time away from competition. "We have a UBS event over the coming days and I'll keep riding a bit there, but also get to enjoy some other things. That's needed too, because mentally the injury was much harder than the physical side," he said candidly.

"You're constantly thinking about how you feel when you haven't been allowed to ride for ten days," he explained, offering a glimpse into life after that ugly crash. "You want to get better, but you can't rush it. And yet you're already sacrificing so much for your sport. Now it's time for a clear headspace — there's a tough summer ahead."

The last question, from a German journalist in attendance: are you riding the Giro? "No," said Pidcock, the corners of his mouth curling up once more.