Tom Pidcock conquered the Elite Men’s Race of the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas with a truly beautiful performance. The Briton finished gracefully and seeing his performance was a wonderful experience, sharing the podium with him were Lars van der Haar (Netherlands) who came second, and Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) who finished in third place.
Pidcock has really outdone himself this time, adding the rainbow jersey to his already strong lineup of wins is certainly impressive. This victory adds to his Olympic gold medal that he won last year in the mountain bike discipline at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
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In the last seconds, the race got really thrilling as Iserbyt tried to overtake Van De Haar for the second position but could not shake him off. The final descent was when Van De Haar really pushed the pedal and completed the race at second place.
After the race, Pidcock stated,
Yeah, that was always going to be a super-hard race. The Belgians were trying to ride a tactical race. I found an opportunity and made it stick.
Pidcock’s Elite Men’s Race win is iconic and also crucial because the last seven wins were secured by either Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) or Wout van Aert (Belgium), with both of them absent this time, the win was ripe for the taking.
Pidcock added to his statement,
I think it became harder to win the race. But we came in with a plan and a process. We stuck to the process and it was good in the end.
I think it’s great. The sport is growing every year in the UK. The elite races are both the biggest in the sport and to claim one of those jerseys is a statement that Britain is getting on the map in cyclo-cross. And I think it’s great to help the sport become more international.
Great Britain is definitely having a powerful and exhilarating week, Zoe Backstedt won the junior women’s race and now Pidcock has completed the set, this was also his under-23 win, which is really impressive.
Sports is evolving, the UK is definitely growing in the realm of sports and talent, there are hundreds of athletes that are showcasing their brilliant performance and extending the country’s image in terms of talent. We can’t wait to see how the rest of this season unfolds.
Also Read: Tom Pidcock Asks For A Safer Way To Train Following Egan Bernal’s Crash
Featured Image Via YouTube/TRINITY RACING
