British cyclo-cross champion Tom Pidcock (Trinity Racing) finished 17th in the first round of the UCI World Cup in Tabor, Czech Republic, on Sunday.

Combining road and mountain biking this season, Pidcock won three under-23 Giro d'Italia stages and the overall on the road in September and both the under-23 MTB cross-country and E-MTB world titles in Leogang, Austria, in October. The 21-year-old Pidcock, who has won both the Under 23 World Cross Country and E-MTB World titles in Leogang, Austria, in October, did not expect too much from this first race of the cyclo-cross season.

However, right from the start in Tabor, Pidcock was on the back foot, struggling to pedal on the front row of the grid and gradually pulling away from the lead group in the first half of the race.

Running just outside the top 10, Pidcock crashed on the rutted mud section at turn 4 on lap 8.

Vanthourenhout had a two-car battle with Pauwels Sausen Bingaert's teammate Eli Iserbitto in the last few laps. However, European champion Iserbitt was unable to keep up with Vanthourenhout's acceleration on the muddy final lap, finishing five seconds behind.

Like Pidcock, Jumbo-Visma's Wout van Aert was returning to cyclocross this weekend after the road season and downplayed his chances: the 26-year-old Belgian was in Kortrijk on Saturday for the X²O Badkamer competed in the second round of the Trofee, finishing third behind Iserbyt and Lars van der Haar of the Telenet Baloise Lions. Van Aert also placed third in Sunday's Tabor behind Van Tulenhout and Iserbyt.

This cyclocross season, Pidcock has ridden all five rounds of the reduced World Cup series, the X²O Badkamer Trofee (last year's DVV Trofee) and many rounds of the Superprestige series, and will be in Belgium on January 31 for the He will close out the cyclocross season at the World Championships in Ostend, Belgium on January 31.

Pidcock raced for Trinity Racing before moving to Ineos Grenadiers next season, while the British national team was led by Zoe Backstedt in the junior women's race and Thomas Main in the under-23 men's race ahead of compatriot Ben Turner. The winners enjoyed a better day in Tabor.

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