Tom Pidcock, hungry for competition, tests his legs on public mountain bike tour in Netherlands

Tom Pidcock's return to cyclocross will have to wait a while, but the Brit already wants to get racing in the mud. This became apparent on Sunday morning, when the INEOS Grenadiers rider suddenly showed up during a mountain bike tour in Hulst, Zeeland. That was a big boost for the organization.

Due to the bad weather, the mountain bike tour of touring club Hulst was in danger of falling into the water. Ultimately, however, about six hundred participants still showed up. Also – to the surprise and delight of the organization – Tom Pidcock, the world champion and Olympic mountain biking champion.

"We knew nothing at all," Thea van Lenthe of the organizing committee tells PZC. "We organize this tour out of love for the sport. We are extremely proud of the fact that the biggest name in mountain biking is participating of its own initiative."

During the tour in Hulst, participants could choose a distance of 35 or 50 kilometers. Pidcock chose the longest distance. It was raining cats and dogs, but that didn't spoil the fun for the Brit. "It was fun," he said, after which he left again.