"I don't think this year is going to be the year" - Tom Pidcock plays down Rainbow Jersey chances in Zurich

A world champion in both Mountain Bike and Cyclocross, Tom Pidcock remains intent on adding a road race Rainbow Jersey to his palmares. Ahead of the 2024 World Championships edition in Zurich however, the Brit is keen to play down his chances of victory.

"It's a bit of a funny one. I've missed the last two Road Worlds, and this year, I've not really had preparation that we'd imagined," Pidcock admits in quotes collected by Cycling Weekly, from the opening of Pinarello's new store in Zurich. "After the Olympics we didn't really plan the rest of the year, and then I was coming good at the Tour of Britain I felt, but then I crashed, got concussion, so I haven't really had the time I needed."

"I think freshness is quite important at the end of the year, and you don't need to be 100% to win the Worlds, it can be a bit of a lottery sometimes," continues Pidcock, not completely writing off his chances, although admitting it's unlikely. "It's a weird one this year, coming into the Worlds, we'll just see how it goes. Get stuck in racing, and hopefully come out well to the Italian races which I've never done before. The Road Worlds are a goal of mine, I don't think this year is going to be the year, but every year is an experience and a chance to learn stuff."

Joined by the likes of Adam Yates, Simon Yates, Stephen Williams and Oscar Onley among others though, Pidcock isn't the only contender Great Britain can call upon. "I think there are a few teams that are pretty strong, also US and Spain have strong teams, there's GB, and then there's Remco and Tadej of course," Pidcock said. "Tadej has stated how big a goal this is for him, and when he says that, you know he means business. All eyes will be on him. If you stake your claim like that, you have to be good to come out on top. I'm comparing myself with those guys, and I want to compete. I'm not there yet, but that's where I want to get to."

"There's a lot of climbing metres but the race is long, and the roads are quite fast here, but it might be easier to be in the bunch that it looks on paper," Pidcock concludes. "I think the tactic is to be aggressive and get ahead of the race, that's the team we've got. That's the best way to play it really. With circuit races, if you can learn the course well like a 'cross race or a MTB race, you know where to move up, where to save energy, that can help you a lot if you're good at that."