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"We'll definitely be in the running” - Team GB optimistic Tom Pidcock can double up at 2024 Paris Olympic Games in men's road race
CyclingTuesday, 30 July 2024 at 20:30
Tom Pidcock successfully defended his Olympic title in the men's mountain bike on Monday afternoon in Paris, putting in a performance that will be remembered for a long while in the process. Could things get even better for the Brit though? A potential second gold of this Olympic Games could lie in wait in the road race.
“Tom has to enjoy the moment. He was massively focused on this race and it emotionally, and physically, takes a lot out of you,” says Great Britain's Performance Director Stephen Parks in quotes collected by Cycling News. "Being the consummate professional he is, he'll be right back on it. He's already on the post-race recovery protocol. I’m sure he'll be in a good spot.”
Probably the biggest the difference for Pidcock between the mountain bike and the road race, is the the change in expectation. Whilst the INEOS Grenadiers man was a heavy favourites to defend his mountain bike gold, the Brit is just one of a number of superstars competing in the road race, going up against the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Mads Pedersen, Biniam Girmay and more. Nevertheless, Park remains confident that Pidcock will be right in the mix for what would be a third Olympic gold of his career.
“I think winning will give him a huge amount of confidence for the road race,” Parks says, noting the boost not only for Pidcock himself but also for teammates Fred Wright, Stephen Williams and Joshua Tarling. “There's no doubt that we need to ride well as a team, and everyone else will be motivated. Tom’s got the legs, and he's up for the race, so they'll be keen to ride for him. So it should be a fantastic race.”
As for the chances of another gold? “It's possible,” Parks said. “But I think if there was one event in cycling, I wouldn't put a wager on it’s the road race. Because it’s such a tough race. It's normally a war of attrition and if the entire peloton rides against you, then it's incredibly difficult to win. But it is possible. We'll just have to see how it plays out, but we'll definitely be in the running.”
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