Tom Pidcock - "The Olympics transcend cycling, so I definitely want to defend my title"

The Gold Medal winner at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Mountain Bike, INEOS Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock has expressed his desire to return off-road at the Paris 2024 games and defend his title.

"I've always wanted to win the World Championship or the Tour de France. But after riding in Tokyo, I know that the Olympics transcend cycling, so I definitely want to defend my title," Pidcock revealed in an interview with Eurosport. "No one cares what event you take gold in, whether it's ping pong or balancing with a ball on your head. A gold medal is a gold medal. And everyone knows you won it."

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Since taking Olympic gold, Pidcock has gone from strength to strength, taking the cyclocross world championship title in 2022 and achieving victory atop of Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France, the 23-year-old has shown his versatility. One thing Pidcock is keen to add to his palmares is another world championship title and with it being a home race this year in Glasgow, the Brit is quietly confident.

"The fact that the World Cup is in Glasgow makes it extra special," says Pidcock. "I stopped cyclocross earlier, so that I could prepare for the spring classics. I have therefore been training since mid-January, which is a lot longer than usual. Mentally I feel tired. After Nové Město I take a short break to build up towards the Tour de France. Although mountain biking helps me to get mentally fresher, I notice that the end is in sight."

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