New rule sees Pidcock and van der Poel start XCO World Championships in a better start row

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.