Tom Pidcock has returned to training after taking rest to recover from a lingering knee injury, sharing his first ride on Strava.
The 22-year-old Brit has been dealing with tendonitis since February, but the injury doesn’t appear to have hampered his performance on the bike.
In his debut season as a WorldTour pro with Ineos Grenadiers, Pidcock claimed his first elite-level win on the road at Brabantse Pijl, won Olympic gold on the mountain bike in Tokyo, and made it through his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España.
On Monday (October 25), Pidcock got back on the bike in at his training base in Andorra, taking on a tough 73k mountain route.
Tom Pidcock's Strava training ride
(Image credit: Strava)
The Leeds-born rider said on his Instagram: “I’m back training and I can finally ride pain free in my knee, first time since February!
“It’s amazing how much you can appreciate being healthy when you’ve had an injury for so long.”
Pidcock, who competes on the road, in cyclocross and on the mountain bike, had a remarkable 2021 season, with huge performances on the road including third in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, fifth in Strade Bianche, victory in Brabantsje Pijl and second in Amstel Gold Race.
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He also won the Nove Mesto round of the mountain bike World Cup in May, then went on to take gold in the Tokyo MTB race.
But due to his knee injury, Pidcock was forced to cut his road season short, finishing with the World Championships road race in Flanders.
He was also forced to miss the first two rounds of the cyclocross World Cup in the USA, but he still plans to compete in the World Championships in January.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
