Tom Pidcock had lowered expectations ahead of his cyclocross season debut, but proved his accuracy on Sunday when he crashed out of the Superprestige event in Merckxplus, finishing in seventh place.

The multi-specialty star, competing for the first time since becoming world champion in the US in January, warned that there would be no immediate fireworks in the rainbow jersey.

Pidcock said it usually takes two to three weeks to get up to speed, but he looked a little rusty on the cold, technical Merc Plus course.

"It was beatje moeilijk," Pidcock said in a post-race TV interview, showing off his Flemish skills with a phrase meaning "a little difficult."

Pidcock got off to a strong enough start and ran in a group of rivals for most of the race. Lawrence Sweck jumped out early in the race and was never seen again.

However, he began to lose ground on the fifth of eight laps, slipping out on a seemingly innocuous section before the stairs and ending any hope of a top finish.

"Maybe it wasn't my best race from the start," Pidcock said of the technical Merckxplus course. "I lost time in the corners. My level was fine, but I was losing time in a lot of places."

Pidcock was also disappointed with his performance on the Merckx Plus course, where he lost time in the corners.

He again demonstrated his Flemish, calling it "Laurence Sweek presentati" (exhibition).

"I fell down and made a few mistakes. It wasn't bad."

"It wasn't bad.

In any case, Pidcock began his cyclocross campaign with the rainbow jersey on his shoulders and a custom white and rainbow Pinarello underneath.

"It was great to be able to wear the jersey. A lot of people supported me and I was happy. Even if I wasn't at the front, I was happy to wear these colors for the first time in years.

"It's great to wear this jersey and win," he said.

He will get another chance at the World Cup in Ouvélaise on Sunday, but with four-time world champion Mathieu van der Pol returning next weekend and three-time world champion Wout van Aert the weekend after, his task will be complicated.

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In addition to the rainbow jersey, Pidcock also unveiled a new special edition world champion bike.

Last year, Pinarello developed its first performance cyclocross bike, the Crossista F, ahead of Pidcock's first cross campaign at Ineos Grenadiers.

He rode a navy British Champion version last season and now has a new paint job to celebrate his world champion status.

The frame is white with rainbow flash on the fork and seat tube. Between the fork and rear stays is a jagged pattern.

The top tube also has a thin strip of rainbow-colored paint, along with the motto "play your cards right," and a picture of a playing card in his line of sight.

Pidcock does not appear to have made any major changes to his setup, choosing a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset and wheels, paired with Challenge Grifo tubular tires that also have a rainbow pattern on the tanwall.