After what he views as a disappointing Tour de France in 2023, Tom Pidcock is setting clear and ambitious goals for himself in 2024.
Even before practice started in Herentals, which was Pidock’s first cyclocross appearance this season, the Ineos rider was already looking ahead to the 2024 road season. In conversation with Sporza, Pidcock revealed his Tour ambitions, hinted at Olympic dreams and limited fans expectations of his winter cyclocross season.
Tour top 10 “isn’t really a motivation”
Pidcock arrived at the 2023 Tour de France with an open mind and no speicifc goals. But, after his spectacular win on Alpe d’Huez in 2022, he probably had some sort of success in mind. On Saturday, he repeated his previously stated disappointment with the result of that strategy.
“Last year I didn’t really know what I wanted and what the team wanted. I didn’t have a clear goal and I paid the price for that. I came home with nothing.”
The Ineos racer clearly learned from that hard lesson. With the calendar still counting down the last days of 2023, he’s clear on his goal for Paris in July, mostly.
“This year, I want to full focus on the general classification.” Pidcock says.
“I won’t be able to say specifically what my goal is until later,” the Briton added, but clarified that a top 10 “That’s not really my motivation.”
With top 10 not enough and his focus on GC, the Brition is aiming high. Whether that means a win or a podium will remain to be seen, but Pidcock isn’t holding back, saying “I believe in myself more than last year.”
Olympics, but not a defense?
When Pidock does believe in himself, he has a strong track record of achieving his goals. Along with his road successes, cyclocross world championships and cross country mountain bike rainbows, he already has an Olympic gold medal to his name. In Tokyo, he rose above pre-race favourites Nino Schurter and Mathieu van der Poel to win the men’s XCO in his first Olympic appearance.
With the Games landing in Paris this summer, Pidcock has his eye on another Olympic achievement.
“”Hopefully I come away from the Tour very well for the Olympics,” he said on Saturday. The Briton didn’t specific if his Olympic ambition is a defense of his XCO gold in Toko or he has eyes on the road race. But his rival, Mathieu van der Poel, has recently stated that finishing…
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