Tom Pidcock (24) has gained some confidence to start the Tour de France next Saturday. At the World Cup round in Crans-Montana, the Briton won the short track race after a thrilling start. Book Peters (22) was the best among the women.
Tom Pidcock’s love for mountain bikes is great. Just a week before the start of the Tour, the Briton chose not his own national road championship, but rather the Mountain Bike World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider started the race poorly. Pidcock immediately came off his pedal and fell to the last position and was only able to avoid a collision.
The Briton did not allow access to his heart and immediately opened the throttle all the way. In no time Pidcock joined the big tenor again and then took the lead on the penultimate lap.
After an impressive race, he received a small bonus at the end over German Julian Schilp and Italian Luca Braidot.
The Briton smiled afterwards, saying: “I didn’t make it easy for myself, that’s for sure.” “I came off my pedal at the start, and then the rest came up so quickly on the first climb that I was simply released. A week-long WorldTour race is something different from that kind of work.”
Belgian Pierre de Vroumont ranked ninth. Jens Schuermans finished 35th. He rode with a knee injury after slipping during practice. Tomorrow, Scheuermann hopes to have fewer problems during the long race in southern Switzerland.
Book Peters cheers with the women
Earlier in the day, Dutchwoman Bouk Pieterse (Alpesen-Dekuinink) was allowed to raise her hands in the women’s race.
Pieterse still had a big punch left in the end to step up and edge out fellow escapee Anne Tauber in the final round.
Swiss Alessandra Keller eventually finished second and Tauber third.
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