Tom Pidcock ends time as U23 with mountain bike world title

Tom Pidcock now moves onto elite men's races after taking the under-23 mountain bike world championships title, saying there's no looking back as he prepares to move up to the WorldTour with Ineos next season.

The Brit took a second rainbow jersey in a week with victory in the U23 mountain bike race at the 2020 World Championships in Leogang, Austria, just days after winning the E-mountain bike world title.

"It was a really tough course, I felt terrible on the first two laps and then I still felt terrible for the rest of the race, I think it’s just a race where you’re never going to feel good," Pidcock told British Cycling after his win. "The downhills were really technical, very slippy, so it was a matter of keeping on the bike and the time was made on the uphills."

Having won various U23 titles across multiple disciplines at national, European, and World Championships level, the 21-year-old says he will now only race at the elite men's level in

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"It’s super nice to finish on a high and to end the season like that. It’s more a relief than anything," Pidcock added. "People said I could have raced in the elite race this weekend, but I wanted to end my time as an under-23 on a high and I don’t need to look back now, I can just move up to the elites."

Pidcock recently rode his first World Championships elite men's road race in Imola, visible towards the front as he led the Great Britain team before the length got to the 21-year-old, eventually finishing in a respectable 42nd place.

"It’s just a matter of time, get the legs and endurance to be able to race the full distance, not just ride the last lap," Pidcock said in Imola.

Last month, it was announced Pidcock would be stepping up to the WorldTour with Ineos in 2021.

His contract will begin on March 1, and he will continue to race multiple disciplines while developing himself as a road racer.