Tom Pidcock has added the elite men's cyclocross world title to his MTB gold medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a really dominant ride in Fayetteville in the US today.
The British rider went into the event as the favourite as last year's winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) and Belgian champion Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) were not racing.
Van der Poel has been forced out of the cyclocross season due to his back injury and Van Aert, who has been the strongest rider in the world this season, opted not to travel to the US for today's World Cyclocross Championship race.
In their absence, the race became a battle between Pidcock, the lone British rider at the front, and the Belgium team, who attacked him again and again in the opening laps.
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However, Pidcock responded to the attacks with ease and never looked in trouble; effortlessly staying in the first two or three during the early laps. And on the fourth lap, of nine, as Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) took a fall Pidcock began to turn the screw.
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The British rider strung out the 11-man group that had pulled clear of the rest before the elastic snapped and he was clear alone. He continued to build his lead until it went north of 40 seconds.
In the chasing group it was Belgium who tried to keep the gap under control until Lars van der Haar (Netherlands) attacked hard and split the group, with only Iserbyt able to follow. Van der Haar's attack knocked a number of seconds off Pidcock's lead, getting it down to about 30 seconds and keeping it there for the remainder of the race.
However, Pidcock continued to put in a flawless performance out front to win, with Van der Haar taking the sprint for silver from Iserbyt, some 30 seconds after Pidcock crossed the line.
