Tom Pidcock thought 'race could be over at any point' after battling gear issue to take World Championships gold

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 12/08/2023 at 22:11 GMT

Tom Pidcock took gold on Saturday at the 2023 Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, but in a dramatic Cross-country mountain bike race that saw the Briton's rival Mathieu van der Poel crash out on the first lap, Pidcock admitted a fault with his gears had him wondering if he would finish. 'It was stressful, the last two laps," Pidcock said afterwards.

Tom Pidcock revealed he thought he might not finish Saturday's World Championships Cross-country mountain bike race - in which he took gold - after battling a gear issue.

Pidcock put in one of the best rides of his career as he powered to the front in the latter stages and was able to hold off a late, determined challenge from Sam Gaze to win by a margin of 19 seconds.

Gaze had won the short-track mountain bike race earlier in the week, as Pidcock took bronze in that event.

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Pidcock had started way back in the fifth row, and needed 31 minutes before he reached the front of the race, and then two laps later he moved ahead of Switzerland’s Nino Schurter, who then succumbed to New Zealand’s Gaze.

However, the 24-year-old Pidcock said after his win that he had been uncertain if his bike was going to last the race after it developed an early fault.

Van der Poel crashes out of Mountain Bike Cross-country at Cycling World Championships

Speaking afterwards, he explained: “It’s a massive relief. As soon as I attacked I think my rear mech was loose, my gears were jumping all over the place.

"I didn't know whether to stop and tighten it up; I just thought my race could be over at any point.

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“I couldn’t go properly, because I didn’t want to put them under too much stress and it was stressful, the last two laps.”

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Pidcock was asked about the unusually frenetic pace in Scotland, and he added: “I was not making it high, the first five laps were super fast.

“It was tough to come back from where I was, it was a super-hard race. After the last race I knew the World Championship is another level to the World Cup.”

Pidcock's rival Mathieu van der Poel withdrew from the race on the first lap after suffering a fall.

Meanwhile in the women's equivalent race, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took the gold for France.

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