"That doesn’t help me make a comeback" - Tom Pidcock doesn't find his cyclocross return likely without an Olympic carrot
CyclocrossThursday, 10 September 2026 at 23:30
Joining Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team seems to have been the turning point in Tom Pidcock's career. Not much has changed on the outside, but the new environment allowed the Briton to grab full leadership on which he delivered in a way we have not seen through his four years at INEOS Grenadiers.
Pidcock almost immedaitely spread his wings and had the best season of his career in 2025, including a Vuelta a Espana podium. And this spring, Pidcock nearly upset Tadej Pogacar at Milano-Sanremo. In the meantime, Pidcock also claimed his second mountain bike world title in cross-country.
And mountain bikes are not the only off-road discipline Pidcock excels at. In fact, he's the only rider other than Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert to have become cyclocross world champion since 2015. Even if his 2022 title comes with the caveat that neither of the two riders mentioned above participated that year.
Pidcock-less cyclocross
But since then, Pidcock's cyclocross appearances have become very scarce. In the following two seasons, he only participated in 14 and 8 races respectively, concluding both campaigns already at the Benidorm World Cup, opting to prioritize road season preparation. And since 2023/24 winter, Pidcock is yet to return to cyclocross.
However, as it appears, the Briton has not much of an interest in expanding his racing schedule deep into the winter neither this year, nor in the coming seasons.
"It is indeed still a bit early for that question. But no, I don’t think I’ll be racing cyclocross this winter," Pidcock tells WielerFlits. "At the end of the 2025 road season, it seemed nice to race again. But after I had ridden my last road race, I thought: 'Nah, maybe not. It’s just too much.'"
Read also
What could changed Pidcock's mind? If the discipline were to make its appearance at the Winter Olympic Games... At one point it seemed as though things were progressing well in the direction of a 2030 debut, but things did not pan out and thus, Pidcock prefers to stick to just road and mountain bike for the time being...
"I’m not going to say 'no' to that. But currently, things don’t look good for cyclocross at the Olympics, do they? Personally, that certainly doesn’t help me make a comeback in racing. If cyclocross gets a spot at the Games, then I do think I will race again," the Briton concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- It's called "supply and demand". People tend to be paid what they're worth (their discounted marginal value product). Just because he's the greatest cyclist, doesn't mean he would ever get paid what the greatest tennis player would be paid. There is more to the calculation than talent and hard work.acem8211-09-2026
- You’re going to have to come to correct often, CHF is dropping like a Tête de Moine rolling down from Bellelay.Mistermaumau10-09-2026
- So, I see despite my request that not only haven’t you reviewed your figures or commented since someone here did some better maths than you (thanks) but you made zero effort to think about the costs involved in collecting the fines. The original expression stems from written statements and promises that can’t be trusted but in the era of automation it received a second life when people started complaining about receiving bills (in the days when everything was done by post) to pay that didn’t cover the price of the stamp on the envelope let alone the costs of sending the bill, e.g rectification bills or utility bills for unoccupied lodgings. The minimum monthly salary in the poorest part of Switzerland is over 4000€ which sets employers back close to 6000€. UCI employees are unlikely to be on minimum salary, being sent abroad is likely to be associated with higher wages but also expenses to pay (travel & lodgings (different location every day), food & drink & a stipend) plus unseen expenses like insurance, min 4000km worth of fuel, etc. Then you forget office, admin & personnel costs, costs of enforcement and collection, accounting, bank fees, etc. run a company a while and see how money leaks out invisibly non-stop. Once there, a commissaire needs a vehicle, and a driver (can’t drive and officiate or write notes simultaneously) Up to stage 18 they fined 12400CHF, 3 stages left. EVEN if they sent only ONE commissaire, they’re not breaking even at this rate. With just 2, they’re losing. Of course by your calculation of raking in over 60k, yeah you could call it that way but you could also just write a fiction in your snazzy UCI office about a golden egg laying goose and earn far more from selling that than doing this, if it didn’t infringe copyright. Now, there is a possibility that these people aren’t even UCi employees but just officials paid fir missions. The going rate for that is 250CHF/day. Add 100 for hotel and 100 for expenses and you’re billing 450 a day for 30 days almost without the other necessary costs, same result.Mistermaumau10-09-2026
- Thought you you retired cuz your golden boy is out for the year? Dang now we get more of your nonsense for free!frieders310-09-2026
- Oh boy, still here? Here’s an idea, donate 1 Euro to each team for every post you’re making since your supposed retirement here. If that’s not enough, they can sell autographs or auction off their paraphernalia. I think compared to similar sports (swimming, triathlon, running) they do pretty well these days. They probably also earn better than rugby or cricket. Did you see what people were prepared to pay for the WC, Superbowl or Tennis finals? Where will cycling rake in that kind of money without Infantinotising its soul? LIV has applied for bankruptcy, Michael Johnson’s reputation has taken a big hit, the enhanced games won’t be enhancing much more, Saudi laundromoney is drying up, bike sales are plummeting, it’s not the best time to be asking for pay rises. Besides, there are plenty of others willing to take any freed up places for lower wages and it’s rare to get offered much better for the same performance by switching employer (perhaps because employers got burnt a few times in the past). And now excuse me, I have to go take care of this golden goose crapMistermaumau10-09-2026
- From none to 2 stage wins in a Grand Tour. Chapeau, Tudor. Maybe it'll be more by the end
Rafionain-Glas10-09-2026 - Chapeau to Mas for an amazing ride! Yes, if Pog were here he’d be ahead by 20 minutes now, but he’s not.Crashjames10-09-2026
- Great to see a win for Küng, too. Always had a soft spot for him; it's impossible not to after that terrifying crash at the ’23 European TT Championships.anonymouscyclist10-09-2026
- What a ride by Mas! He proved everyone wrong with his strength. Three more days to victory!awp10-09-2026
- Huge, huge performance by Mas. As Blythe called him, ‘El ‘Mas’ador’. Arguably the ride of that man’s life, and I could not be happier for him. Come on Mas!anonymouscyclist10-09-2026
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