Tom Pidcock, one of the best descenders in the pro peloton, has given another masterclass in going downhill, this time hitting almost 100kph down a mountain in Germany.
In a new video shared by energy drinks brand Red Bull, the double Olympic mountain bike champion is shown descending at full tilt from the Rossfeld Panorama, a mountain pass on the Austria-Germany border. He is followed on the 6km stretch by Matthias Walkner, a Dakar Rally champion, who films from a motorbike.
During the winding descent, Pidcock reaches a maximum speed of 95kph, at points riding out of the saddle at more than 800 watts.
He also adopts the ‘supertuck’ position for long stretches, lowering his upper body onto his bike’s top tube to gain an aero advantage. The position was banned in races by the UCI in early 2021, but can be done outside of competition.
Commenting on the video, Red Bull, who are a personal sponsor of Pidcock’s, said: “[It] encapsulates the enormous risks of professional road cycling, bringing into sharp focus the pure speed and remarkable trajectories that world class cyclists like Pidcock master on a regular basis.”
Towards the end of the descent, rally rider turned videographer Walkner can be heard laughing at Pidcock’s speed. The Q36.5 rider then comes to a skidding halt at the end, having descended more than 500m in five minutes, before Walkner tows him back uphill with a rope.
(Image credit: Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool)
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The Brit’s descending skills first rose to prominence during his Tour de France debut in 2022, when he won a stage on Alpe d’Huez. That day, Pidcock ripped down the descents of the Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer, reaching speeds in excess of 100kph on the latter, and dropping other riders with ease.
At the time, the 25-year-old put his descending ability down to riding off-road after school as a child. “I’ve become very used to riding the bike and handling it where it’s on the limit of control,” he said.
Speaking to GCN last year, Pidcock stressed his main piece of advice for riding fast downhill is to have confidence. “Building it up slowly without crashing while you’re learning the skills is really important,” he said.
“Going on the drops is better, lower centre of gravity. Then as you approach the corner, you want to be putting your outside leg straight, the pedal down, and then – it’s a bit counterintuitive – put your weight on the inside of your handlebars, and that will lean the bike in. You don’t have to turn.”
The 25-year-old placed 16th on his Giro d'Italia debut earlier this month, and is expected to ride the Vuelta a España later this year.
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Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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