Tom Pidcock proved himself to be one of the most multifaceted riders of his generation, adding the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship title at the 2023 elite men’s race in Scotland.
Having won the UCI Cyclocross Worlds and the Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France last year, won Strade Bianche and landed podiums in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Amstel Gold Race and raced as a co-GC contender for Ineos Grenadiers at the Tour this year, what kind of rider is he: off-road, Classics or Grand Tour?
“I don’t have to choose, do I?” was the Briton’s response when asked by Cyclingnews.
There aren’t enough superlatives to put beside the 24-year-old’s name, and he put in yet another remarkable performance at Glentress Forest in Scotland on Saturday. Starting on the fifth row, it took him little time to find his way to the front of the bunch before going off in pursuit of the early leaders.
Mid-race, he was at the front together with South Africa’s Alan Hatherly and 10-time World Champion Nino Schurter (Switzerland) and, on the penultimate lap, stormed away on a climb.
As Hatherly and Schurter cracked, New Zealander Sam Gaze came on strong from behind, and relegated the Swiss rider to the bronze medal.
The British rider could feel the pressure coming from behind as Gaze came as close as 14 seconds to reaching Pidcock, but couldn’t make the catch.
Pidcock said he could only relax and soak in the cheers of his home crowd when he came to the line because some slipping gears on his new Pinarello hardtail.
“Before that, the last few laps were so stressful. My gears were not working well. In the last lap, they were jumping up every climb, and I couldn’t get in a rhythm. And Gaze was coming. And it was. I thought it could all go in the bin at any moment.”
“It was frustrating because I couldn’t go how I wanted to, I had to kind of pick my gear and stay in it. I was being careful. I looked at my bike now, it’s not loose. So I don’t know what happened.”
There was drama leading up to the race when the UCI overnight altered the rules for the starting grid, putting Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) on the line in 34th, one position behind Pidcock. The change angered the seasoned mountain bike community, with multiple riders signing an open letter to the UCI in protest.
Van der Poel crashed out before it could prove to be an advantage, while Pidcock added his name to those opposed to the change. He raced and won the World Cup in Nové Mesto in May in order to get a better…
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