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Tom 'Pidders' Pidcock

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But if he's 1.7 meters, he's not that small. Although he has tiny shoulders. I think his shoulders are about half as wide as SK's.

I only saw the end of the race but he must have been crazy strong to put time into MVDP. Not sure yet what his road strength will be, one would assume hilly classics given his size ==> but he's young so maybe could pivot toward stage races. I also think Iserbyt could be a good stage racer; have no idea on his recovery but he's got a climber's build.

Iserbyt reminds me a lot of Alaphilippe, Pidcock, despite his different build, more of van Aert. But of course we now have to rename this thread "Pidcock is the new van der Poel". Or, as the French say, Tomthieu.

He's really not that small anymore. I had that wrong.
 
Because it needs a lot of skill to go around in circles... I'm sure Pidcock would do just fine at that too.

It was a joke ;)

Although, I once tried riding on a track. It did take a few minutes to get used to. Not being able to not move the pedals when the wheels spin is difficult enough and at the ends of the track it has a slant of 45 degrees which seems borderline insane at first sight. But once you accept that speed is your friend it becomes alright.
 
Shite, I've barely noticed this guy until the last recent weeks, but what a list of achievements already before senior level. There can't be many guys who have won both PR Espoirs and Giro Bio (after winning all the toughest mountain stages), and now continues by beating Van der Poel in cyclocross. The new generation of cyclists are just incredibly talented and versatile.....
 
His win yesterday marked the first major cross race that wasn't won by either a Belgian or a Dutchman since Stybar won his third World Championship in 2014.
Three young British guys in the top 13 as well. Might raise the interest in Cyclo-cross in the UK in the future.

Hopefully the success of MvdP, WVA and maybe Pidcock in the future on the road will make Cyclo-cross more popular around the world so it finally stops being a sport solely ridden in Belgium and the Netherlands.
 
Including video interview: https://sporza.be/nl/2020/12/16/tra...aar-ik-wil-hem-niet-kapotmaken~1608133496530/

Trainer Pidcock: "Potential is huge, but I don't want to destroy him"


After his victory in Gavere, Thomas Pidcock is also one of the favorites for next weekend's cross in Namur. The Briton trained today at the mining site in Beringen. "I will always remember my first victory against Mathieu van der Poel", he says. And the future? "Tom is an all-rounder. We do not rule out anything", says trainer Kurt Bogaerts.
Pidcock booked his first major professional victory as a cyclist last weekend. "Putting my name on the list of riders who were able to beat Van der Poel, I will always remember that", he says a few days later. "Hopefully this is the start of more."

"Van der Poel is clearly the best cyclo-cross rider of the moment. So beating him is nice. And it gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the winter. As a child you dream of winning big races against the greatest riders in the world, that has now succeeded. "

After his victory, Pidcock is suddenly in the spotlight. He is described as an all-rounder. What are Pidcock's ambitions? "There is not one particular race that I want to win, I mainly want to achieve a list of achievements. I want to become world champion in the three disciplines. I would like to do all of that in one year, but if I could already win all jerseys once, I will be very happy. "

And what about the Tour de France? "There has always been a voice in my head that wanted to win the Tour. But it was only recently that I realized that I really want to and that it might be possible. Many other riders of my generation are already doing very well at the pros. That also gives me confidence that I will be able to do it next year. "


Trainer Bogaerts: "Don't want to destroy him"

"He was enthusiastic after Gavere, but we didn't really celebrate," says trainer Bogaerts. "He did thank everyone and on Monday we just got back on track with the training. It was mainly a relief that it had once been possible to beat Van der Poel, but he remains with his feet on the ground."

Bogaerts can estimate better than anyone whether the label of "super talent" is rightly put on Pidcock. "It is the greatest talent I have worked with. He is not yet at his top, he can still grow a lot if he has the time. That is why I have slowed his career a bit so far. we postponed a little longer. Why would you go too fast if things are going well? Let him develop in all disciplines. "

"I don't want to skip steps. What I really want to achieve now is that he can fully develop as an athlete. That would be the greatest honor for me as a trainer. I want to be able to look straight in the mirror in a few years and know that I Didn't destroy him. That's what counts. And if he didn't win the Tour in the end, then I can live with that. "
But is that within his capabilities? Is Pidcock a future Tour winner? "I don't know where his limits are. You can't rule out anything with him. He has a lot of potential, but whether he also has those last percentages to win the Tour, you only know when the time really comes."

"Now we try to keep the range of possibilities open. As a trainer I also have an educational task. He lives here in Belgium during the cyclocross season, so his family entrusts us with that too. He is very strong mentally. He then moves to a big team ( Ineos, ed. ) and we want to prepare him for that as well as possible. "
 
Oh, but there are trainers who destroy their athletes. Although that is not their intention. A painful example is Thibau Nys those days. The son of Sven Nys. As a result of the coronacrisis, "espoirs" have to cross against pros in the same competition. It is what it is. First years espoirs have to start in the back rows, because a lack of UCI-points. Competing that way means one has to fight, just to move up a few places in the terrible traffic. Nys has the technical abilities, but not yet the fysical capabilities. He is the youngest espoir, last month he turned 18. Race after race, he forces the first rounds, before exploding en giving up (in most of the races). I really don't know what his trainer wants to achieve with that. In addition, he often trains with his teammates who are pros. But the young Nys has not (yet) the fysical capabilities of a van der Poel or a Van Aert at the age of 18.
 
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Three young British guys in the top 13 as well. Might raise the interest in Cyclo-cross in the UK in the future.

Hopefully the success of MvdP, WVA and maybe Pidcock in the future on the road will make Cyclo-cross more popular around the world so it finally stops being a sport solely ridden in Belgium and the Netherlands.
CX was pretty popular in the US about 15-20 years ago, but everyone switched over to gravel. Don't think classic CX will be back to those levels unless the courses change.. But then, of course, it's not really CX anymore...
 
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CX was pretty popular in the US about 15-20 years ago, but everyone switched over to gravel. Don't think classic CX will be back to those levels unless the courses change.. But then, of course, it's not really CX anymore...
Everyone switched over to mountainbike as soon as that became an Olympic sport. It's a *** crime they have upgraded certain "sports" to Olympic disciplines but refuse to take CX into account.

This is the top 10 of a WCC CX (1992) only 4 years before mountainbike went Olympic:
Notice the number of Dutch (1) and Belgian (1) riders.


This is a WCC (1999) only 3 years AFTER mountainbike became an olympic sport:
Notice the number of Dutch (1) and Belgian (5) riders in the top 10.


And this is the top 7 of the WCC in Koksijde 2012:

 
Finally, the day has come. For those of us in God's own county, this has been a day to look forward to for a few years. Shame about the team, but it was inevitable I guess. I hope he's allowed to race with freedom. Really looking forward to see what he can do at Strade Bianche. Now if someone can just edit that ridiculous "Pidders" out of the thread title, all will be well.
 
Finally, the day has come. For those of us in God's own county, this has been a day to look forward to for a few years. Shame about the team, but it was inevitable I guess. I hope he's allowed to race with freedom. Really looking forward to see what he can do at Strade Bianche. Now if someone can just edit that ridiculous "Pidders" out of the thread title, all will be well.

He will forever be "Piddles" not "Pidders" in my mind. But yeah, he definitely needs a more aggressive nickname. Let's see how he does on the road this year then decide.
 

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