New rule sees Pidcock and van der Poel start XCO World Championships in a better start row
Mountain Bike
A controversy that has been building over the past day, it has now been confirmed. A last-minute rule change from the UCI will see Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel start the XCO World Championships better placed than initially expected.
The starting rows of a MTB race, as is the case with Cyclocross, are very important. In circuits with plenty technical features and narrow courses, overtaking is in now way similar to that of road cycling. With no UCI points, Mathieu van der Poel would be starting from close to the bottom of the field, whilst Tom Pidcock would not be too far, as both focus more on road and cyclocross throughout the past months. However they will both be starting on the fifth row, closer to the front and having better chances at a strong result.
This is because the UCI has implemented a new rule this week to allow them to do so. In the World Cup (or World Championship) races the Top24 of the Short Track race will fill the first three rows of 8, by that logic Pidcock would be at the very front due to his third spot on Thursday, but will start on the fifth row. The fourth row will be reserved for the best placed riders in the UCI rankings which did not finish on the Top24.
However then on the fifth row, the rules state that riders who are in the Top10 of other cycling discplines, or Top20 of the road cycling rankings, can have a spot there. Although Peter Sagan does not fit these standards as he returns to XCO racing, it does to van der Poel, winner of Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the road World Championships this year, and also Pidcock. As he seeks points to ensure a position in next year's MTB Olympics race, this could prove to be a decisive change in his benefit.
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- 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
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THAT WAS INCREDIBLE 🔥🇳🇿 SAM GAZE WINS A THRILLER MTB XC SHORT TRACK RACE #GlasgowScotland2023🏴
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