Pidcock, who will turn 22 on Friday, turned to gold on his mountain bike on Monday as he comfortably won the men’s cross-country race at Izu, finishing 20 seconds ahead of world number one Mathias Flueckiger as he crossed the line waving. a Union flag.
Britain’s most exciting young rider has already racked up a dazzling array of world and European titles in cyclocross, mountain biking and on the road at the junior and under-23 levels, with an Olympic crown taking him into a completely different sphere. .
But Pidcock, who races for the Grenadiers of Ineos on the road, has even more new ground to open with with a planned Grand Tour debut next month when the Vuelta a España kicks off on August 14, which means there may be little to come. free time.
“I ate the whole cake at the buffet,” he said. “That was my celebration. The plan is the Vuelta now, so (on Tuesday) I will go out and do a long tour because I will not have so many days when I return.
“It is my birthday when I get home and I will spend a couple of nights in London. It will be a few days off, but I need to ride a bit. “
Pidcock, less than two months after a broken collarbone suffered when a driver knocked him off his bike, was at least able to celebrate in the moment.
Having attacked with 17 kilometers of the 28.25 kilometer race to go, the Yorkshire man had steadily drifted away from the field to build a commanding lead.
There was time to grab a flag from Great Britain coach Simon Watts as he rounded the curve towards the finish line, holding it up for the cameras to create a defining image of the day.
Although Pidcock has already proven very successful in his young career, this one was different.
“The Olympics transcend cycling,” he said. “It is the whole world. Everyone feels involved in it. There is national pride, and everyone in the country is behind any athlete in any sport in that country.
“That’s what makes it more special and bigger than the sport itself.”
Pidcock, whose qualification for the event was only confirmed in May, started in the fourth row of the grid but wasted no time in getting into a leading group, earning 26 places at the end of the first full lap.
He spent a couple of laps hiding behind the Swiss couple of Flueckiger and Nino Schurter, but knew he wanted to be up front alone.
“I’m always better when I take control,” he said of his tactics. “I take my own lines, my own speed. Once we started I was fine, all the nerves disappeared and I concentrated on the race. I’m happy that this is (the Olympics) only every four years because it’s fucking stressful. “
However, the crowd that had gathered in Izu, not subject to the same restrictions as Tokyo, would be denied the anticipated battle between Pidcock and Mathieu Van Der Poel.
The Dutchman, who enjoyed six days in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France a month ago, crashed hard on the first lap, apparently unaware that a ramp that was placed in the rock garden had been removed for the race. .
Although Van Der Poel kept going, he pulled out of the race with two laps remaining before being sent for X-rays.
“It wasn’t pretty to watch,” Pidcock said. “I’ve talked to him since then and he’s told me he’s fine, so it’s good to hear.”
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-26 20:39:48
