“At one time atop team like Ineos Grenadiers might have baulked at letting its top talent break off...”
2003 UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Championships.
While the cyclocross season takes place in the winter, largely during road cycling’s hiatus, and has historically been complementary to many roadies down the years, the doubling up of mountain biking and road cycling to winning effect by some of the top names is a new development.
“It’s clear Tom is one of the most exciting young riders in world cycling and part of a new era of incredible all-round talents,” said Ineos Grenadiers principal Dave Brailsford when announcing Pidcock’s signing last year. “We’re witnessing a new trend in cycling, with an emergence of young riders who come from a broader, multi-disciplined background. Tom’s career so far really embodies that. He’s competed at the highest level across several disciplines, and is an incredible bike handler, a natural-born bike racer, and a winner.”
What makes talents like Pidcock and Van der Poel all the more remarkable is that they - as well as other top riders like Wout van Aert - have been the catalysts for the collapse of the era of the specialist, not just between sports but within them. Where once riders like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault would contest every race put in front of them, a more controlled era of racing led to Grand Tour and oneday riders separating into distinct silos. We’re beginning to see the breaking down of that idea; clearly, it takes incredible talents to bust the dam, but you can see it leading to a shift in thinking that will see more riders like Pidcock emerging.
Where once a top team like Ineos Grenadiers might have baulked at letting its top talent break off and wished to protect its asset for its main objectives, it now sees the benefits when they do return to the road. Of course, it helps Ineos to have the bottomless pockets that it does - its ridiculous roster of talent means it’s not left short when Pidcock is off mountain biking. Not only will the team have a motivated rider, but a well-functioning one too, as the crossover benefits of practising explosive sports like XC mountain biking and cyclocross become more and more appreciated.
“I think I was born to do mountain bike,” said Pidcock after his MTB World Cup win in the Czech Republic. “It sounds stupid but it’s what I’ve done since I was little and what I’ve enjoyed the most. Winning an elite World Cup – at my second attempt but a first attempt with a level playing field – is pretty insane really.” He may turn out to be a once-in-ageneration talent, but Tom Pidcock will undoubtedly shift the received wisdom in pro cycling.