All-rounder Pidcock enjoys 12 months for the ages

Cycling Road 15 Jul 22

When it comes to succeeding in elite sport there are two contrasting schools of thought.

One claims that if you specialise early and put in the hours, you can get a head start which cannot be overcome, see Tiger Woods and countless chess grandmasters for proof.

The alternative theory, proposed by investigative reporter David Epstein, is that the longer you put off specialising, the better you can be.

Cyclist Tom Pidcock might be the living proof that there is no need to focus on one discipline when you can dominate them all.

Still only 22, the youngster from Leeds has enjoyed a virtually unparalleled 12 months. In one of the most eagerly anticipated events of Tokyo 2020, he decimated a high-class field to be crowned Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion.

There were reasons to think he could be a threat in the event, but even so, he was facing the likes of defending champion Nino Schurter and European champion Mathieu van der Poel and after breaking clear, never looked like being caught.

In January of this year, he shifted to cyclo-cross action and became senior world champion for the first time. This time, Pidcock had come in as one of the favourites, but found himself outnumbered on the course in Arkansas, only to negate the numerical disadvantage by simply riding away and leaving his rivals in his dust.

However, when it comes to two wheels, there is no greater exposure than the Tour de France, and maybe no more iconic climb than the Alpe d’Huez.

Even by his precocious standards, it was asking a lot to expect Pidcock to make an impact on his debut Tour. The opening week and a half had seen him stay in general classification contention while supporting team leader and former Tour winner Geraint Thomas.

On Bastille Day, and with the legendary 21 bends of the Alpe waiting at the end of a 165km stage, the plan from the start was to get Pidcock into the breakaway to challenge for the win.

He made the first of those tasks look easy – it isn’t – and then proceed to wow the spectators with some breath-taking descending, taking chunks of time out of his rivals and underlining his status as perhaps the most gifted bike handler of his generation.

That is where the decision not to specialise early comes into play. While some have focused on road cycling since their early teens, Pidcock’s familiarity with the unpredictable nature of riding across all terrains is a big reason why he looks so comfortable on the bike.

He explained: “I just have become very used to riding a bike in situations where it’s on the limit of control.

“I grew up riding my bike. I rode to school every day. I’d detour through the woods, drifting in the mud and I’d come home and my uniform was completely dirty.”

By the time Pidcock arrived on the slopes of the final climb, he was in a group of five with a six-minute lead over the peloton.

In most circumstances, a climb like the Alpe d’Huez would see a breakaway group swallowed up in no time as the leaders lay down the hammer, but even the great Wout van Aert – a Pidcock rival in cyclo-cross and maybe his biggest challenger to the world’s best all-round cyclist tag – could not close the gap.

When Pidcock dropped each member of the break one-by-one, it became clear that there was only one man who would emerge through the crowds to claim the win.

In fact, the crowds were the only thing that could have stopped him.

He said: “I can’t explain. You have to just pray that everyone is going to move out of your way and that is the most ridiculous experience ever.”

So in the space of a year, Pidcock has won an Olympic gold, become a world champion and claimed the queen stage of the Tour de France, becoming the youngest-ever winner on one of La Grande Boucle’s most famous mountains.

The sky is the limit with 23-year-old Tadej Pogacar, the winner of the last two Tours, now in his sights.

“I’ve won a stage of the Tour so I’m pretty satisfied. But yeah, I compare myself to Pogacar and these guys. I have bigger ambitions in this race in the future after this,” he added.

After everything he has already achieved, you would be foolish to count him out doing just that.

In fact, when it comes to riding on two wheels, whatever the bike and whatever the terrain, Pidcock can do it all.

Why specialise when you can win everything?

Sportsbeat 2022

Tags