“I’m a road rider, but I’m better at cross and mountain biking" - Tom Pidcock plans to combine Tour de France and Olympic MTB ambitions in 2024
Cycling
After winning the gold medal in the Mountain Bike of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Tom Pidcock is keen to return to the discipline next summer in Paris. As the INEOS Grenadiers aim to compete at the Tour de France however, Pidcock will have to balance both ambitions.
“Next year, I want to go and defend my title at the Olympics, but I also need as many points as I can get,” the 24-year-old Brit says on Red Bull’s Just Ride podcast, referring to the ranking points required to determine Olympic qualification and start order. “But also I’ve got to balance that with the team, and they need me or want me at the Tour, so I have to be there and at my best at the Tour, and I have eight days between the end of the Tour and the Olympics. It’s going to be on the limit, it’s not going to be easy, but I’m giving myself the best chance.”
As Pidcock has previously noted, winning a Grand Tour and especially the Tour de France are without a doubt, long-term goals of his. Given he is still only 24 however, Pidcock feels there is still time to do a wide variety of races before fully dedicating himself to Grand Tour riding.
“I’m a road rider, but I’m better at cross and mountain biking,” he says. “I ride for a road team, so the priority for them - and also me, to be honest - is the road. With mountain biking, for example in the spring when I do the World Cups in April, it’s just nice to get away from the road for a bit. Mountain bike is just a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere. It’s where I can go and just enjoy riding.”
In a prelude to next summer's Olympic Games, Pidcock took part in the test event in Paris this summer. Victor Koretzky was the winner on the day with Pidcock struggling to make a mark in the event and in his opinion, the course leaves a lot to be desired.
“I wasn’t that impressed to be honest,” Pidcock explains. “They’ve just gravelled over a hill. It’s big gravel, slippy - they could have made a more exciting track, because there is a hill there, and they could have made some nice natural features, but I think they’re scared it’s going to rain.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Even the broadcast motorcycle struggles to keep up with Tom Pidcock when he's descending 😲💨
Write a comment