What's funny with Tom Pidcock is that not even his coach knows his potential on the road

"I guess, in some ways, it was like a big relief. But then again, at the same time, I felt like it was only as good as expectations," he states. "I couldn't help thinking that I haven't achieved that much on the road, so it's bittersweet, if you know what I mean."

Because when all is said and done, cycling on the road matters most to the Brit; that's where it happens. But Pidcock's ambitions are more widespread, almost bigger than himself. "I want to leave a legacy in cycling in general. This year, I just focused on it because it was the one race I wanted to win if I could pick any. But I will put more mental energy into the road, specifically. I have more potential on the road. After the Olympics, I told my girlfriend I would try and prove myself there."

A legacy, that's what Pidcock wants to leave behind in cycling. One rider who is undoubtedly doing that is Tadej Pogačar. "It's getting a bit monotonous, isn't it?" the 25-year-old rider laughs. "He is on another level. Everyone will be scratching their heads on how to close that gap, and I don't know if that's possible in one year. He's set the level of the sport, and everyone else has to get there now. There are no secrets. Everyone works hard now, and the level of all teams, riders, and staff is much higher than ever."

As we reported earlier, there will be no more GC ambitions at Pidcock next year. "I think I can win more one-day races almost without any development; I love doing them; they're my kind of races," Pidcock says. "I want to perform in the Classics and the World Championships next year; they'll be pretty spectacular in Africa."

Pidcock has plans! His coach, Kurt Bogaerts, emphasizes this in an interview with Cyclingnews. "For sure, the Olympic cycle is four years, so I think the next two years are definitely key for Tom to explore his limits on the road and how far he can get."

"I don't say completely no to off-road but it will be more in function of his road goals," Bogaerts further clarified about mountain biking and cyclo-cross on Pidcock's calendar. "We are also realistic that we have never really had the ideal preparation so we don't know his limits on the road."

"I still think he can be really, really good on the road. And at the same time, he's 25 and if you look at his palmares off-road and road, there are some nice wins that he's had. He doesn't win the amount as a Pogačar or an Evenepoel, but I think many 25-year-olds would like what Tom has put together at the moment. I'm a very realistic person and very positive in this, and for me, he's more than reaching his goals."