Tom Pidcock’s long season is coming to a close. But he’s definitely ending things off with a bang.
The British rider’s last weekend of racing is a doozy. On Saturday, the Q36.5 rider will race the last big road race of the year: Il Lombardia. The next day he heads to the Netherlands for the gravel worlds. There, he will definitely be a favourite if his legs are recovered.
His coach, Kurt Bogaerts, said Pidcock has been targeting the gravel worlds for some time.
“Tom said at the beginning of the year that he absolutely wanted to do the gravel worlds,” Bogaerts said to Sporza.
As far as the weekend goes, his coach said that it will be a tough few days, but riding Lombardy is big for both for him and his team. Valuable UCI points are up for grabs.
“For Tom, riding Il Lombardia is important for the future,” he adds. “But they didn’t make it easy for us.”
The gravel world championships were initially scheduled for Oct. 18-19 in Nice. Earlier this year, however, they were moved to Holland a week earlier due to organizational issues. Both events are important for Pidcock, so he has decided to go for it. The gambit could pay off–a great result in Italy and a win in the Netherlands would make for quite a nice way to end off the year.
The logistics are nailed down. Pidcock will fly from Bergamo to Maastricht on Saturday evening after Il Lombardia. The only snag would be if he does well–a podium spot means interviews, and a later flight, his coach said. Still, a big result in Lombardy would probably be worth the extra hassle.
Either way, it should be a relatively stress-free flight. His equipment, including his gravel bike, will already be there in The Netherlands, his coach said.
Pidcock had his first big GC result in a Grand Tour with a 3rd at the Vuelta a España. He also finished in the top-10 at a very tough road Worlds in Rwanda. His coach said the podium in Spain has definitely given him confidence. Pidcock rode well to round out the podium at the Grand Tour, which was won by Dane Jonas Vingegaard.
Although the final stage and podium ceremonies were cancelled, Pidcock’s mom also saved the day. She suggested to the riders to have a makeshift podium ceremony in the hotel parking lot. That way, all the jersey winners and podium finishers could still have their moment.
Canadian Nick Zukiwsky, who rides for Pidcock’s squad, said it was a special evening.
“We had our own little ceremony in the parking lot at the Visma Hotel. It felt like a grassroots event, like a local race podium. It was a lot of fun, and we got to cheer our teammate onto the podium,” he said. “We weren’t the strongest team in the mountains, but everyone gave 100 per cent to support Tom. In the end, it paid off.”
The gravel worlds may be the last off-road event for the Olympic MTB champ and former ‘cross world champ, however.
On ‘cross, Bogaerts said, “The chance is very small that Tom will race this winter, but it is not out of the question. We just have to make sure that Tom has enough rest periods and build-up periods.”
As far as Lombardy and the gravel worlds, FloBikes will be broadcasting both. Tadej Pogačar will be racing on Saturday, looking for a fifth win at the Monument. Who knows maybe he will do something wild like break away early?
After the race, be sure to check back at Canadian Cycling Magazine for reports. Should be a great weekend for bike racing!