‘I went into the red’ - Tom Pidcock admits costly mistake while trying to follow Seixas

Tom Pidcock admitted that a costly effort to regain position contributed to his downfall at Il Lombardia, where Paul Seixas produced a remarkable solo victory to become the youngest winner in the race's history.

The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider was one of the few who initially managed to follow Seixas when the Frenchman increased the pace on the Civiglio with around 19 kilometres remaining. Alongside Giulio Ciccone, Pidcock briefly stayed in contact before the 20-year-old rode clear.

Speaking after the finish in Como, Pidcock explained that his problems had started before Seixas made the decisive difference.

"I had bad position going into the penultimate climb," Pidcock said. "I made a bit of an effort to come to the front and then went a little bit deep on the wheel of Paul and paid for it."

Despite feeling strong throughout the race, the Briton acknowledged that the effort had pushed him beyond his limit at precisely the wrong moment.

"I felt really good today. Just then that climb just went into the red and then that was it."

While Seixas appeared to launch the race-winning attack on the Civiglio, Pidcock offered a different perspective on how the decisive separation occurred.

Asked whether he had been surprised by the Frenchman's acceleration so far from the summit, Pidcock suggested it was not so much an explosive attack as a relentless pace that eventually became impossible to match.

"Well, he didn't really attack. He just kind of made his own pace, high pace," Pidcock explained. "He was super strong."

After losing contact on the Civiglio, Pidcock slipped back into a larger chasing group behind Enric Mas and Giulio Ciccone, who were battling for the remaining podium places. The Briton was unable to make his way back into contention and eventually finished sixth.

Pidcock also felt that his unfamiliarity with the route had played a part in his difficulties.

"Today I think I also suffered from not knowing the route so well," he admitted. "I mean, the first time I've done it this way. So definitely I think that's an advantage."

His assessment was particularly notable given what he had said ahead of the race. Speaking to Domestique and other media on Friday, Pidcock had already acknowledged that tactical decisions had cost him opportunities during his recent run of strong performances.

"I like to think I'm good tactically but I've made a few mistakes the last few weeks or the last week," he said.

Having finished second at both the Giro dell'Emilia and Tre Valli Varesine, Pidcock had been hoping to turn his impressive autumn form into a victory at the final Monument of the season.

He had also stressed the importance of conserving energy for the finale, something that proved particularly difficult when he was forced to move up through the group ahead of the Civiglio.

Still, Pidcock was unwilling to blame his disappointment entirely on positioning or his lack of familiarity with the course.

"No excuses. Wasn't strong enough and, yeah, so it is."