Pidcock underwent mentally exhausting journey to defend Olympic title and explains why third MTB title will be difficult

On Tuesday morning, Tom Pidcock woke up as a two-time Olympic mountain bike champion, while also celebrating another birthday. The British all-round cyclist turned 25. The day after his great victory, Pidcock speaks of a huge relief. The previous day, during the press conference, he already mentioned that a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

The mental burden before the Olympics was primarily due to Pidcock's status as the top favorite. "After my first gold medal, I was quickly determined to defend my title. If the previous Games had taken place in 2020, I probably wouldn’t have even participated," Pidcock refers to the postponement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "And although I won a few World Cups beforehand, I went to the Games as an outsider. Defending your title, however, is very different. The pressure and expectations that come with it are a completely different challenge, much harder."

"Emotionally, it was the most exhausting victory," Pidcock continues with a strong statement. "The lead-up to it was so long, especially mentally. It builds up more and more until you cross the finish line, and then all that tension comes out," he described the rollercoaster he went through. While Pidcock knew right after his first gold that he wanted to defend his title, he does not yet have that conviction for a third title in a row. "I think defending my title again will be more difficult. The pressure will be less, and I probably won’t participate in mountain bike races in the preparatory phase. But I don’t know exactly yet. Four years is a long time."

A day after the race and on his birthday, Pidcock still made time for an interview with Sky Sports. "It feels very special," he says of being a two-time Olympic champion. "Defending my title was a big goal, and now that I have succeeded, it brings enormous relief," Pidcock repeats his words from the press conference. He also shares his thoughts after the flat tire. "First, it was a reset. Then I saw it as a new race. I was only focused on the gap to the lead. Luckily, the flat tire happened early, so I had time to make up for it. For a moment, I thought about maybe just winning a medal, but ultimately, I came here to win. Period," Pidcock quickly refocused.

The firm determination to give everything for the victory, despite that flat tire, was partly due to good preparation. "I knew my form was super good. Of course, there are always doubts before big races like this. However, I worked incredibly hard, so even with a flat tire, I would do everything to cross the finish line first," said Pidcock, who had to leave the Tour in July due to a Covid-19 infection. "It wasn’t ideal, but I am very grateful to my team. They helped me recover and got me ready so that I could win here in my best form."

Pidcock sets his sights on road race after his birthday

Pidcock's Olympics mission in Paris is not over yet. He will participate in the road race on Saturday. Although the course might not be perfectly suited to his abilities, he is at least considered an outsider on a course that will be comparable to a Flemish one-day race. Pidcock doesn’t want to say much about it yet. "Today I am still enjoying my victory. But starting tomorrow, I will join the team, and we will prepare for Saturday." He also took some time on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday. "I am going to have a barbecue with my family, and we are having a family Olympics," Pidcock concluded with a wink.

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