Tom Pidcock aims for another Olympic gold in road race

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Tom Pidcock celebrated his 25th birthday on Tuesday as a two-time mountain bike Olympic champion. However, his preparation for Saturdayโ€™s menโ€™s road race is already on the horizon, with a chance at a second gold medal. Following his win on Monday, Pidcock took a needed break to spend time with his family.

โ€œNormally after a mountain bike race, I do a long ride. But this time Iโ€™ll take time to recover, to refresh and go from there,โ€ Pidcock explained regarding his recovery plans. โ€œI want to spend time with my family because I get to see them so very little in the year, and I see this as a special time.โ€

On Wednesday, Pidcock will shift his focus to the road race, likely training with Josh Tarling, who has remained in Paris after the time trial. The 18km city centre finishing circuit will be closed to traffic on Thursday afternoon for a final reconnaissance ride. Pidcock and the 90-rider menโ€™s field will then taper for Saturday.

โ€œIt is crucial how he will digest the next two days,โ€ his coach Kurt Bogaerts told Sporza. โ€œEverything that comes now is a nice extra. The road race course is not ideal for him, but he can compete for a medal.โ€

Pidcock had several Olympic obligations as a medal winner on Wednesday but was given the day off from training by Great Britain Performance Director Stephen Parks. โ€œTom has to enjoy the moment. He was massively focused on this race, and it emotionally and physically takes a lot out of you,โ€ Park said. โ€œBeing the consummate professional he is, heโ€™ll be right back on it. Heโ€™s already on the post-race recovery protocol. Iโ€™m sure heโ€™ll be in a good spot.โ€

Pidcock was a favourite for the mountain bike race and will be a contender for the road race, facing top Classic riders including Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium), Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), and Julian Alaphilippe (France). Pidcock has also achieved success in races like Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold Race, and he will lead the Great Britain team in the 272km road race. The team includes Josh Tarling, Stevie Williams, and Fred Wright.

Winning gold in the mountain bike race, especially by diving past Franceโ€™s Victor Koretzky on the last lap after fighting back from a puncture, was intense but inspiring. โ€œI think winning will give him a huge amount of confidence for the road race,โ€ Parks suggested. โ€œThereโ€™s no doubt that we need to ride well as a team, and everyone else will be motivated. Tomโ€™s got the legs, and heโ€™s up for the race, so theyโ€™ll be keen to ride for him. So it should be a fantastic race.โ€

Double gold is possible for Pidcock and Great Britain, but Parks knows the road race will be far less predictable. โ€œItโ€™s possible,โ€ Parks said. โ€œBut if there was one event in cycling, I wouldnโ€™t put a wager on itโ€™s the road race. Because itโ€™s such a tough race. Itโ€™s normally a war of attrition and if the entire peloton rides against you, then itโ€™s incredibly difficult to win.โ€

โ€œBut it is possible. Weโ€™ll just have to see how it plays out, but weโ€™ll definitely be in the running.โ€

Main photo credit: Getty