Yes, super talented and versatile. Wonder what he’ll do in the next 10yrs
Get sucked into the Ineos grinding machine I fear. Unless Ineos create an MTB team that is.
I would have thought prior to this race he would not have had much negotiating power and this was just to keep him occupied when not selected for grand tours. But now…now he might have a say.
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That’s not true at all.
He was the most sort after rider by nearly every team, together with Remco.
Dictated his own contract completely.
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In an interview it was mentioned that even this morning MvdP was not aware the wooden plank would be removed. He asked Faber “it seems everyone jumps the drop in training” Faber: “offcourse, don’t you?” No I always ride over the plank…
I hope not…
From social media it appeared MVdP only just flew to Tokyo. Seemed a bit of a rushed prep.
Gutted to see him go out of the race like that.
What a great course. Great riding from Anton, I agree with the poster above about letting the riders back in. I was stressing. Cink and the Spaniard were flying though and Cooper and Schurter were starting to labour.
I really hope we see Pidcock featuring in the World Cup scene like MVdP has the last few years. I suspect he’ll spend more and more time on the tarmac though.
Also, what about that jump from Nino on like lap 3-4. So impressive
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Dropping out of the Tour early to target the MTB not looking super smart now.
WvA definitely wins in this episode of WvA vs MvdP.
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Would they have been able to pull back a minute on the top 2? I didn’t think they would. Clearly neither did they hence why they started looking at each other.
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Loved every moment of that race. Such a shame MVdP crashed. I honestly thought he’d claw his way back into the top 10. He’s a Terminator!
Like many, I hope Pidcock is able (via his contract) to compete across a variety of disciplines.
MvdP confirmed in a tweet he indeed did not know (or forgot?) that the plank was removed.
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His late flight was fully planned. He was of the opinion that he would be more locked in the olympic village and he could maximize his time on the mtb here in The Netherlands.
Not knowing that there would/wouldn’t be a wooden plank seems weird to me. Especially if Vader even warned him this morning.
Not sure he would be in the mix for the win because Pidcock looked really strong. Well deserved win.
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Not really about catching the two in front, more staying ahead of those closing in.
His coach also said MvdP took a bunch of practice laps of the course beforehand. Honestly, might be the jetlag and lack of acclimatization. That’s the main reason all the athletes flew out at least a week beforehand. To get rid of the jetlag and get used to the intense heat and humidity. (In NL it has been 22ish centigrade for the past weeks, just for comparison)
The commentry said Pidcock has been there 2 weeks. (not sure if they were allowed to practice on the course though)
From what I heard in the commentary, there was a course test event back in 2019. I’m not sure how much the course has been tweaked though.
This. He’s been on the radar as the great young hope of British cycling for quite a few years now. Turned down a Sky contract when he was younger as he didn’t think it was the right thing for his development. When Ineos took over as sponsor in 2019 I think there was a renewed imperative to keep a British core to the team, and signing Pidcock would therefore have been a priority. His first season pretty much confirms how much say he had in the terms of that contract. Finishing up CX before starting with Ineos. Leadership role in the classics. Then being allowed to take a few months to focus on MTB Olympics. Totally different to the approach they have taken with other young riders like Bernal, Sivakov or TGH who have had to serve their time as domestiques in stage races to prove themselves.
Is going to be really interesting to see what his schedule over the next few years looks like though. WVA and MVDP have proven that you can continue to race and win across multiple disciplines in one day races and stages. I’m not sure that transfers to GC though, seems like for GC where you need to maintain a peak for 3 weeks with no bad days that you would need a more focused prep. But what do I know, he’s probably going to prove me completely wrong by backing up MTB Olympic gold with winning the Vuelta!
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They should hopefully take a leaf out of EF’s book - making all your riders flog themselves for anonymity in GTs isn’t necessarily the best way to get exposure for the team.
You would think Pidcock has some ideas about what kind of road success he wants in the future though. With his light weight and sprint/good short power he could do well in the GTs.
He’s got a younger brother as well.
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Winning MTB gold from a back row start #29 
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Do GT Bicycles make an XC race bike? I didn’t know they did, and can’t find it online. (Just curious and have never taken notice before)
ETA: it was a BH not GT
In this discussion, GT refers to Grand Tour. People are saying Pidcock could be a GC contender in a GT.
Edit: ah, you meant Valero’s bike. Gotcha. Massive result for him.
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