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Multidisciplinary star Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) has revealed that he plans to trip each the Tour de France and the cross-country mountain bike occasion on the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Chatting with Crimson Bull’s Just Ride podcast, MTB world champion Pidcock confirmed his hopes to trip each occasions subsequent summer time, regardless of simply eight days separating the ultimate stage of the Tour and the XCO race in Paris.
Learn extra: UCI World Championships: Tom Pidcock takes cross-country mountain bike title in Glentress
He additionally hopes to trip the Olympics highway race, which takes place simply one other 5 days after the mountain biking.
Pidcock is the defending Olympic champion in XCO mountain biking after profitable the race in Tokyo in 2021, however is opting to combine his title defence goals with one other assault on the Tour de France, having taken a memorable win atop Alpe d’Huez in 2022.
“Subsequent yr, I need to go and defend my title on the Olympics, however I additionally want as many factors as I can get,” he stated, referring to the MTB rating factors that decide Olympics qualification and begin order. His world title in August has already secured his spot in Paris, however his rating will determine how good his begin place is.
“But in addition I’ve received to steadiness that with the group, and so they want me or need me on the Tour, so I’ve to be there and at my greatest on the Tour, and I’ve eight days between the tip of the Tour and the Olympics.
“It’s going to be on the restrict, it’s not going to be straightforward, however I’m giving myself the most effective probability.”
Regardless of being a number of months away nonetheless, Pidcock has rigorously deliberate his method to the Olympics, going and racing the ultimate World Cups in North America to attempt to acquire sufficient factors to permit him to skip the early rounds of the 2024 season and concentrate on highway preparation.
“Doing these races now on the finish of this yr units me up higher for subsequent yr, as a result of it implies that I don’t must go to the mountain bike races within the spring, which suggests I’ll have an extended prep for the Tour, which suggests hopefully I ought to come out of the Tour in a greater situation and deal with it higher, that means that in eight days I could be prepared.”
Double Olympic ambitions, however MTB course disappoints
He additionally confirmed that he plans to race the highway race in Paris, going down only a few days after the mountain biking, which might be his first time racing highway on the Olympics, however that is depending on making the Crew GB choice.
Pidcock received’t be the one rider presumably racing the Tour de France and the Olympics MTB concurrently, with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) additionally plotting a trip in each, although sources across the Dutchman have recommended he would minimize his Tour brief in favour of the mountain biking.
Learn extra: Mathieu van der Poel may only ride one week of 2024 Tour de France
Each riders had been in motion on the current Olympics check occasion in Paris, received by Victory Koretzky, although Pidcock gave a harsh critique of the Elancourt Hill course.
“I wasn’t that impressed to be trustworthy,” he stated. “They’ve simply gravelled over a hill. It’s large gravel, slippy – they may have made a extra thrilling observe, as a result of there’s a hill there, and so they may have made some good pure options, however I believe they’re scared it’s going to rain.”
Balancing highway and off-road
Although he’s the world champion and is hoping to change into a two-time Olympic champion, Pidcock reaffirmed that the precedence remained highway racing, and that that – and the pursuits of Ineos Grenadiers – had been key.
“I’m a highway rider, however I’m higher at cross and mountain biking,” he joked.
“I trip for a highway group, so the precedence for them – and likewise me, to be trustworthy – is the highway,” he stated. “With mountain biking, for instance within the spring after I do the World Cups in April, it’s simply good to get away from the highway for a bit. Mountain bike is only a bit extra of a relaxed environment. It’s the place I can go and simply take pleasure in using.”
While using the Paris Olympics XCO race straight off the again of the Tour de France is probably not essentially the most gratifying expertise on the bike, Pidcock will likely be hoping the work pays off with one other gold medal subsequent summer time.
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