"Someone like Remco Evenepoel could do well" - Tom Pidcock believes Belgian, Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen the riders to watch in Paris

Tom Pidcock has concluded his preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. The Briton is the main favorite for the Mountain Bike event and also an outsider for the road race. For the latter he has a list of riders to watch in an extraordinary week for him.

"I'm fine. My plan was to finish the Tour, getting sick was not part of my plan, but you have to adapt. I am in good shape, I am happy with how I am. I have recovered well and I can be satisfied with how my recovery went," Pidcock told Cyclingnews. The Briton initially hoped to go for the overall classification at the Tour, although not having the time to properly focus on all events.

The race will take place this Sunday and the Briton, despite racing only a few events this year, has taken several wins and has had a similar preparation to that of Tokyo where he became Olympic Champion. He looks to defend it now, with teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot looking to also win in the women's racee.

“My main goal is the mountain bike race. I will think about the road race from Tuesday," he continued. “Winning in Tokyo is one of those moments that I will never forget. The Olympics transcend cycling as a sport. What it feels like to represent your country at the Olympics is unique. It feels like you are representing your entire country and so that is a bit of a weight on your shoulders. It can push you forward if you can handle the pressure, or it can knock you back if you can’t control it. But you can use that pressure as motivation. It’s also a platform to inspire people. For me that means a lot, to be able to inspire and lead by example.”

In the road race he will team up with Stephen Williams, Joshua Tarling and Fred Wright in search of a medal on the hilly course which the team is well adapted to. "I would be happy with a medal in the road race. The teams are small, so there will be a different racing dynamic than usual."

He has a few riders to keep under eye specifically for the race that takes place in a week from today: "It's all a mystery. Maybe we will have to race more aggressively than when there are teams controlling. The course suits riders with a lot of power, I think of Van der Poel, Pedersen and others. But someone like Remco Evenepoel could do well given that the teams are very small“.