Tom Pidcock hits another milestone with mountain bike world title

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Tom Pidcock danced away from the field late to win the elite men’s world title in mountain biking Saturday.

The reigning Olympic mountain bike champion added the prestige of the cross-country rainbow jersey to his already burgeoning trophy shelf that also includes mountain bike, cyclocross, and road racing successes.

“It’s such a relief. My ‘mech’ was loose, and I didn’t whether to stop and tighten it up. I just thought my race could be over at any point,” Pidcock said. “I couldn’t go properly because I didn’t want to put it under too much stress. That was a stressful last few laps.”

Also read: Mathieu van der Poel crashes out of MTB worlds

The intense, eight-lap race saw some controversy before the flag even dropped.

Pidcock was among a handful of top roadies who saw improved starting positions after a controversial decision by the UCI to tweak the start-line grid.

The race was marked by the early exit of recently crowned road racing world champion Mathieu van der Poel, who crashed out late in the start loop. Three-time road world champion Peter Sagan also raced, but never figured in the hunt for the podium.

Olympic MTB XCO Champion
UCI MTB XCO World Champion
UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion
Tour de France Stage Winner
and more…@tompidcock #GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/AJKOYk8dz1

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) August 12, 2023

Pidcock fought his way through traffic to link up with cross-country legend Nino Schurter eventually pulled clear. Pidcock attacked on a steep climb to take the lead for good with two laps to go.

From behind, Sam Gaze countered to hit silver at 19 seconds back, with Schurter hanging on for bronze at 34 seconds.

“I was not making the pace high. That was not me! The first five laps were super fast,” Pidcock said. “It was tough to come back from where I was. It was a super hard race. After last year, I knew the world champs are another level than the World Cups.”

Pidcock skipped the road worlds to put everything on the cross-country title race. His bet paid off in a big way.

Ineos Grenadiers teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the women’s elite title earlier Saturday, and expressed her desire to race on the road with the team.

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