08 May 2022

Pidcock wins Albstadt World Cup

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Tom Pidcock

Tom Pidcock kicked off his mountain bike season in style with victory in the World Cup Olympic Cross Country race in Albstadt.

After a spell away from the MTB, the Olympic champ took a commanding win in Germany. With a front row start he was able to solidify his presence in lead group, before launching a stinging attack on lap three.

That acceleration blew the leading group apart, with the Brit opening out a 20-second gap at the race’s halfway point. He doubled that advantage on lap four, taking time on the course’s multiple steep climbs.

After an impressive wheelie across the line the Grenadier took an eventual winning margin of 20 seconds over Nino Schurter, with Vlad Dascalu taking third place.

Pidcock won’t have long to wait for his next World Cup race, as he heads to Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic next weekend.

Reaction

- Tom Pidcock

“I found myself on the front. They set off really fast in those first few laps. It was really hard, and then we were going super easy, and it was kind of keeping it together. Nino was pushing really hard on the descents. I just thought I would test the water a little bit and see where everyone was really at. I got a gap and then I was like ‘okay then’.

“It was hard. I haven’t ridden my mountain bike so much this year yet, so it was a different sort of effort. Up those climbs, being able to go repeatedly deep and be able to recover – I’d say that was not where I was last year in Nove Mesto or the Olympics – it was really hard.

“On the last lap I knew that unless something went wrong I’d won. But I still went full gas up the climbs just to kick myself a little bit more for next week.

“I want to win the (MTB) world title and maybe the Euros too. I guess if I do achieve that then I’ve done quite a bit in mountain biking I can say.”