Mathieu van der Poel, the king of road cycling, fell well short of his eleventh world title during his foray into off-road racing; instead, Olympic champion Tom Pidcock claimed the world title on a mountain bike for the second time. At the championships in Val di Sole, van der Poel finished only 30th. After eight world titles in cyclo-cross, one road title and one gravel title, his dream of a first-ever double in cross-country was once again dashed.
Pidcock claimed victory, repeating his triumph of 2023. The Olympic champion from Tokyo and Paris won by a clear margin ahead of his British team-mate Charlie Aldridge and the Canadian Cole Punchard. “It was very tough after the Tour,” said Pidcock, thinking after his triumph of his British compatriot Finlay Tarling, who had lost his life in a tragic accident during the Tour of Portugal.
Pidcock’s comeback
Road racing professional Pidcock, who had finished second in Milan–San Remo earlier in the spring, had to start from the back of the field, just like van der Poel. As neither had competed much in the World Cup series, they lacked the points needed for a front-row starting position. However, whilst the Briton quickly ploughed his way through the field, MvdP made little headway and crossed the finish line 4 minutes and 40 seconds behind. The three-time Paris–Roubaix winner had most recently won two stages at the Tour de France, including the prestigious final stage in Paris.
The German riders put in a solid performance. David List finished tenth, whilst Luca Schwarzbauer came 23rd. In the women’s event, Switzerland’s Sina Frei had earlier claimed the World Championship title.
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