"I didn’t want to get involved in this rule changing sh*t" - Tom Pidcock against rule which helped him win XCO World Championship
Cyclocross
The UCI changed a last-minute rule to accommodate Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel and Peter Sagan more towards the front at the start of the XCO World Championships. The Briton eventually won the title with that small assistance, but he's not too keen with the rule following the mass backlash that has occurred due to this.
"I didn’t want to get involved in this rule changing shit show before the race but I feel something needs to be said," Pidcock said in a post on Twitter following his victory. "Even though this did end up benefiting me (1 row up) I’m in complete dis-agreement with it. This rule wasn’t made for me or requested by me or from my camp," he reveals. He started on the fifth row of the race, one above runner-up Sam Gaze. However Van der Poel and Sagan climbed several rows each despite not having the UCI points in Mountain Biking to start towards the front.
This was made possible because in the days leading up to the men's race - but not applied to the women's race and Blanka Kata Vas - the UCI implemented a rule that stated that riders in the Top10 of other cycling disciplines or Top20 on the road could have a fifth row start. Criticism was already heavy from that alone, but then grinding on the absurd as Sagan did not follow any of those standards and still heavily benefited from it - although at the end of the race he ultimately could not take a result strong enough to assure his presence in next year's Olympics.
The Mountain Biking community heavily criticized such absurd decisions that were in clear favour of the three athletes. A combined statement of many athletes was also issued, putting in the spotlight the unfair treatment of riders who race all year round in the discipline and were in seek of results or UCI points respectively. Pidcock, although not requesting it, naturally also got backlash as he benefited from the rule and ended up racing to victory. He looks to distance himself as far as possible from the decision.
"I sacrificed 3 weeks of prep for the TDF extending my spring before taking a break in order try get as many points as I could for this world champs. If a rule like this is to be made, it needs to be at the start of the year. I support the rider representatives position."
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- 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
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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1/1 I didn’t want to get involved in this rule changing shit show before the race but I feel something needs to be said. Even though this did end up benefiting me (1 row up) I’m in complete dis-agreement with it. This rule wasn’t made for me or requested by me or from my camp
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