Along with his spring highway racing season within the books, Tom Pidcock has turned his consideration to the mountain bike in current weeks, recording his first win of the season at Sunday’s Swiss Cup race in Chur.
The Briton began his month along with his season MTB debut in Guéret however was pressured to withdraw earlier than the end with a mechanical challenge. This time he had the beating of a powerful discipline together with Mathias Flückinger and Nino Schurter.
Pidcock was clear after six of the 9 laps within the race earlier than heading off Flückinger late on, surviving to take the win by 9 seconds as Schurter rounded out the rostrum 47 seconds again.
The win bodes nicely for the primary spherical of the 2023 UCI World Cup in Nové Mesto subsequent week, the place Pidcock hopes to go for the win and sequence chief’s jersey.
“I really feel good now however within the race that was laborious. I used to be perhaps overconfident initially pushing on, after which I used to be blowing for perhaps half an hour afterwards,” Pidcock mentioned after the race.
“Then I got here again into it a bit. The race was fairly cagey because the climb was so laborious and in addition a headwind. Within the group, we’d go gradual after which actually quick. I feel it was enjoying on individuals’s legs ultimately.
“Mathias was tremendous sturdy. He crashed after which got here throughout to me, then he was with me on the high of the climb. He did a powerful race. I used to be struggling a bit on the lengthy climb. It did not assist that I solely did 20 minutes of the race final week. It is good to get a full hour and a half in my legs – it is very completely different to highway racing, the efforts.”
Pidcock, the reigning Olympic champion within the self-discipline, now has a win in his legs forward of Nové Mesto, the place he took the win final 12 months.
“Hopefully that is blown out a couple of cobwebs,” he mentioned.
“It actually felt prefer it. Clearly subsequent weekend is the primary World Cup. It is truly the chief’s jersey on supply as nicely, which I will not get a lot likelihood to go for in my profession I do not suppose. So that may be good.”
Within the ladies’s race, Pidcock’s Ineos Grenadiers teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took second in her race. The Frenchwoman, taking over her second race since shifting to the squad, had received final week in Guéret.
Ferrand-Prévot could not stop Evie Richards from soloing to the win, 1:45 up the highway. She did, nevertheless, battle off Sina Frei to take second within the dash for the end line.
“It was a extremely laborious race so I am fairly proud of second,” Ferrand-Prévot mentioned later.
“To be sincere I did not really feel actually good in the present day, so I simply wished to try to stick with the group, then on the finish attempt to end with the perfect consequence attainable.
“On the finish, the massive purpose is subsequent week, so in the present day was a very good preparation as nicely for subsequent weekend.
“As we speak was a extremely quick race with largely one climb and one downhill. It was good to get some rhythm within the legs. It was not like an actual MTB lap, it was extra for a strong rider, so we’ll see how I might be subsequent weekend.”
