Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) lost no time in hitting his stride on his mountain bike, winning the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup competition in Pal Arinsal-Andorra on Sunday.
The reigning Olympic Champion in the XCO discipline made a splash in his season debut on dirt, working his way from a fourth-row start to take a solo lead by the bell lap.
The British rider, who lives at high altitude in Andorra, used wide passing lines, punchy climbs and technical descents to seal the victory, coasting across the finish line 21 seconds ahead of Luca Martin with another 31 seconds to compatriot Charlie Aldridge, both riders with Cannondale Factory Racing.
It was the first time in three tries in Andorra that Pidcock scored a victory in the XCO race, having finished third two times before. This was his first mountain bike race with his new team, Q36.5 Pro Cycling, competing in a white and gold skinsuit to pay tribute to his Olympic title.
“My start was pretty OK; I went a bit hard midway through the race. It’s hard for everyone racing this high [at altitude], it’s not like you can find more oxygen anywhere," Pidcock told organisers after his win.
“My tyres were a little bit hard in the end, due to a lack of experience in the races this year. It did play into my favour as I didn’t puncture or have any problems. I was nervous about getting a good launch at the start. If I’d have gone backwards from the fourth row, then I would have been really far back."
After the first of eight laps, the 25-year-old worked his way to 14th position. He kept on the gas and on the second lap caught the leading group of six riders, which included French national champion Martin, who had won the Cross-country Short Track race on Friday. Pidcock and Martin stole away with nearly 30 seconds in hand by the mid-point of the race.
On the sixth circuit, Pidcock had carved out a small advantage to Martin, who lost a chunk of time when he had to swap wheels after a puncture and then had a mechanical. The Frenchman made up a small amount of time on lap seven but could never reconnect with Pidcock.
XCO World Cup points leader Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) finished more than 4 minutes back in 29th position, but held onto his overall lead of 313 points going into the seventh round on August 28-31 at Les Gets in the Haute-Savoie region of France.
Asked if he would find a spot on his calendar to race another MTB World Cup event this summer, Pidcock only referred to 'next year' for a return to XCO racing.
“I don’t think this year. Next year I want to do a few more races," he told organisers.
“It’s super-nice to finally win here, kind of at home, after a few years. It’s not an easy place to race, that is for sure," he added.
Last year he competed at the Mountain Bike World Championships, going third at Pal Arinsal, and defended his gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games. His last World Cup race was last year in Crans-Montana and he won both the XCC and XCO events.
He returns to road competition for Q36.5, having most recently scored four top 10s on stages at the Giro d'Italia.
