It didn't take Tom Pidcock long to transfer his impressive form from his debut professional road racing season as he returned to the mountain bike, winning his first race back by more than three minutes.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider paused his road season after Flèche Wallonne to switch disciplines to mountain bike racing ahead of this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games.
Despite not fully recovering in time from a crash at Flèche to race Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Pidcock had clearly brushed off any lingering bumps and bruises by the time of the Swiss Bike Cup in Leukerbad this weekend.
Pidcock's coach, Kurt Bogaerts, had said in the build-up that this first race back was all about making the transition from the road to the mountain bike, but the young Brit wasted no time in putting the competition to the sword, the Frenchman Titouan Carod finishing in a distant second place.
After only 20 minutes of racing, Pidcock had gone off on his own in pursuit of victory, building his lead all the way up until the finish line, no disagreements over photo finishes needed this time around.
Following on from the Swiss Bike Cup comes a number of UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events for Pidcock, with a view to qualifying for the upcoming Olympics.
First up is the World Cup round in Albstadt, Germany, on May 9, before Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic a week later. Then it's Leogang, Austria, on June 12-13, before hopefully the Olympic cross country event on July 26.
Pidcock has already impressed during his first road season for Ineos, taking his first professional victory at Brabantse Pijl only two months after making his debut.
When he returns to the road, he is rumoured to be making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España in August.
-
-
Mark Cavendish spotted cycling in central London
Cavendish will race in the World Championships on Sunday 26 September, but needed to get some miles in his legs in London
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
See and be seen with the Garmin Varia rearview radar and tail light
Garmin’s clever tail light alerts you to approaching vehicles as well as upping your road presence
By Cycling Weekly •
-
Tom Pidcock will not ride Paris-Roubaix after World Championships in 2021
Olympic gold medallist says he's getting better every day at the Vuelta but will only focus on World Championships this season
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
'I'm not in a rush to fully commit to a Grand Tour,' says Tom Pidcock, as Vuelta a España beckons
The Brit is determined to continue his multi-discipline programme even as he prepares for his Grand Tour debut
By Jonny Long •
-
Tom Pidcock anticipated Van der Poel's crash as Brit's Olympic celebration limited to eating all the cake at the buffet
The Brit says his Dutch rival was almost falling before he even went over the top of the downhill section
By Jonny Long •
-
Tom Pidcock powers to Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold in mountain bike event
The 21-year-old claims the first cycling medal for Team GB
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Tom Pidcock returns to road racing at Italian one-day race
The British rider is back racing just three weeks after breaking his collarbone
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tom Pidcock: I'm going to Tokyo Olympics to win gold
The British all-rounder is confident despite an injury set back after crashing earlier this month
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tom Pidcock back to riding six days after collarbone surgery
The British star was injured when he was knocked off his bike by a driver while training
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Tom Pidcock breaks collarbone as pictures show wrecked bike from training crash
The Brit was due to start the Tour de Suisse but instead has undergone surgery in Girona
By Alex Ballinger •
