You could make a strong case for it after his prowess was on display on the Alpe stage last year in the Tour…but holy hell, check out this video.
16 Likes
And mad props to the guy filming…he is right there for every turn!
11 Likes
1 Like
My favorite is Pidcocks’s reaction to 1:12: “Oil.” 
Gonads of steel.
According to one of the comments, the guy filming holds the KOM for the descent. Which shows how insanely good he is. His other videos are well worth watching, including e. g. Madeira.
6 Likes
I know Safa’s controversial in some circles, but I love his riding and his videos. And yeah, Pidcock’s a monster haha. “A bit sketchy” 
you don’t say!
4 Likes
I am still terrified just from watching that video.
6 Likes
I could watch this all day…but not on the rollers
6 Likes
Impressive
It is like downhill mountain biking, just a bit more serene. The skills are just off the charts.
I would never want to do this, because I don’t want to become an organ donor. All it takes is an oncoming car … I don’t even want to imagine.
Instinctively pulling the brakes … not a good idea when you are on the rollers. 
I literally felt ill at 1:12, just imagining what might have happened. Scary stuff.
Best regards,
S. Lowdescender
4 Likes
Pretty insane and also at :51 he hits the yellow line which I am sure is not a great idea at anytime especially when roads are slightly damp. His rear wheel slips just a bit on yellow line and he just carries on. Impressive skills but alot of unnecessary risks being taken for a professional athlete who is one of the best in the world. Not my cup of tea for sure
3 Likes
I always wonder when and how top level descenders practice. Around me I can only think of one descent where I want to go beyond 70 km/h, and even then I am usually content sticking to 65 km/h. (I have a strict “Do not try to place on downhill Strava segments.” rule.)
2 Likes
“Unnecessary risk” is in the eye of the beholder. Especially on a vid like this. Tom’s skills and actions are measured and calculated. Corners are open enough and he can see through them well enough to see if anything is coming. And at about 40 secs I’m sure it says One way? Sure there are a few slips and slides but nothing out of control and it doesn’t even look like he’s really on the edge, it looks calm and controlled…and most important of all, FUN. Tom rides for fun, if it wasn’t “sketchy” he’d not be doing it.
There’s always risk. People get seriously injured doing the daily commute and other mundane things all the time.
Risk vs. Reward.
If I think too hard about flinging myself down sketchy descents every Sunday on the MTB, the speed, the terrain, the drops, the jumps…its batshit really, but god damn do I love it! It makes me feel alive.
6 Likes
Read the road - it say’s “one way”. I’d still soil me armor if I tried it though
7 Likes
My palms got sweaty watching that.
1 Like
Controversial opinion after watching it again…he doesn’t pick the best lines, IMO. For a lot of the turns, he hits the apex way too early but he has the handling skills to deal with it coming out of the turn.
Now, we (as viewers) have the benefit of a slightly higher angle and wider field of vision, so that could be at play as well.
1 Like
Its a fair observation, as you say we have a much better vantage position, and he doesn’t know the road. He is coming in a bit hot in many places but not so hot that its reckless, just not perfect 
The casual bunny-hop @ 42mph at the 5’ mark… 
1 Like
Don’t worry that’s a one way road.
2 Likes
I think this is a fair description and says a LOT about his handling skills.
Here’s Safa’s KOM run: https://youtu.be/TD3CAgg9tt4
Safa had said somewhere that the KOM was a multi-year(?) project and he did like 70+ runs of the canyon. I’m pretty sure Pidcock hasn’t done it anywhere near that much and they were still flying.
ETA: not 40+ practice runs, 70+ per his comment on the video above.
3 Likes