Why Tom Pidcock isn't racing at the Tour de France
Will the Olympic Champion return to MTB this July?
Tom Pidcock isn’t racing the Tour de France this summer, which may come as a surprise to some considering he is a stage winner and multi-time participant.
Why?
Pidcock races for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, which he transferred to for this season in a much-publicized move from the Ineos-Grenadiers. Q36.5 is a second division team, which means they don’t race in the top-tier World Tour category of races, of which the Tour is part of.
Ineos, for example, receive an automatic invite to the Tour as a World Tour team. On the other hand, Q36.5’s only shot at racing the famous French race is through only one of a few wild card invites, which they didn’t receive.
Pidcock knew this when he transferred to the team, and the talking point at the time was that the racer would enjoy peace-of-mind and more freedom on the second division team, albeit a smaller salary and less opportunities at the sport’s biggest races.
The Olympic MTB Champion doesn’t seem to mind missing the three week race in France too much.
“There’s always going to be pressure [at the Tour de France,” he told The Guardian. “You’re in the spotlight every day, the media have their expectations and their questions. You can’t hide if it goes badly, and the past two years weren’t that great. If you’re not at the front and making a show, then you’re just an accessory. The Tour creates so many amazing stories. A story of just being average isn’t impressive.”
Pidcock has also found knew enjoyment in the sport, according to the interview.
“I feel like I’ve been let off the lead. I’ve found new interest, life and energy in cycling. It’s really been revitalising. I just have that extra reserve of energy,” he said.
Given that Pidcock isn’t at the Tour, and I am writing about this in an off-road cycling publication, the natural question is if he’s going to use his spare time to enjoy racing in the dirt.
The double Olympic mountain bike champion hasn’t started any World Cup races this year, despite the (ill-fated) presence of Mathieu van der Poel in Nove Mesto. He also hasn’t raced on the road since the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica on June 22.
The World Cup heads to Andorra this weekend. Pidcock lives in the small country so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see him toe the line while the circuit is in town.
Pidcock (or his team) usually announces his race plans ahead of time on social media, and no such announcement has been made about his mountain bike plans.
Given his past performances on the mountain bike, we don’t doubt his chances if he does decide to show up.
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