'I’m just here to enjoy it': Tom Pidcock on his surprise Paris-Roubaix appearance

Tom Pidcock says he is 'just here to enjoy' his senior debut at Paris-Roubaix and explained that just enjoying the moment is the key to getting the best out of himself on the big occasions. 

Ineos Grenadiers kept their team firmly under wraps until Saturday morning. The team then surprised fans, journalists and everyone else by announcing that Pidcock would be part of their team as a late addition for the Hell of the North. 

Speaking to reporters in Compiègne on Sunday morning, Pidcock said that it was on Tuesday that it was decided he would head to northern France to prepare for the race. He explained that he was still slightly from the crash that forced him out of Itzulia Basque Country but was ready to go nonetheless. 

"I'm fine to be honest," he said. "Ok i've got a bit of bruising on my hip still but as soon as i knew it wasn't serious I was like right, game on and I started training again and was like I want to go and ride Roubaix now.

"For sure it's one of my favourite races… I can't remember a time when I was this excited, so I'm really looking forward to it now."

The Brit wouldn’t be drawn on discussing the team’s plan to take the race to the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen, the two favourites for the race. He explained that the unpredictability of Roubaix means that anything is possible once the race gets underway. 

"I'm not really here to tell you how to beat Van der Poel," he said. "It was a last minute thing, I'm here to enjoy it and when I enjoy it, I get the best out of myself and that's how it is. It's not just Van der Poel he might puncture or crash and he might be out of the race in the first 100km so it's not just about one guy."

When asked if there was a particular cobbled sector that he was expecting the race to open up, Pidcock said the weather conditions could mean that the race explodes somewhere unexpected.

"There will be a big tailwind all day," he said. "It's going to be super fast. Of course, some sections could have crosswinds but you never know in this race, it could be anything."

"I'm just looking forward to getting stuck in"

Pidcock is a past winner of Paris-Roubaix Juniors and Paris-Roubaix Espoirs so is fully aware of what he will face out on the road as the race hurtles towards the Roubaix velodrome. 

Due to the late call up, Pidcock explained that he hadn’t had much time to recon the course. He said his initial target was just to get through the first cobbled sectors unscathed. 

"I'm just looking forward to getting stuck in and getting into the last part of the race," he said. "I want to get past this first part of the chaos, anyone can be a victim there of mechanicals crashes, anything. You have to try and beat the course before you try and win the race."

Ineos Grenadiers DS Ian Stannard told Cycling Weekly and others that Pidcock’s presence had lifted the British team’s confidence and belief ahead of the race. 

"I'm really looking forward to seeing him out there," Stannard said. "He's absolutely buzzing about riding the race. He’s added another element to the team, the guys are all buzzing as well so it's just great to have him here and we’re excited."

He added: "He could be the first guy to have all three cobblestones so it could be pretty cool and he could be the first British winner too… It's really good terrain for him out there. He can ride on these cobbles and I'm pretty confident that he can follow all the best guys."