Defending the world of mountain biking, Olympic champion Tom Pidcock added an extra world Cup to his schedule for the lead・up to the Paris Olympics, and he will start the Tour de France in Florence on 6/29 just days before the 6/23. He will take part in the UCI MTB World Cup Round in Montana.

According to an interview with Cycling Weekly, Pidcock balances getting enough for the Tour de France with not compromising off-road skills.

"I don't need to train on mountain bikes, but [road and mountain bikes] are very interchangeable," Pidcock said. "Of course, now this time of year, I am doing a longer effort to prepare for the tour, more volume." But they all complement each other.

After racing the shortened Cyclocross campaign with a single victory in Namur on 12 May, Pidcock chose to skip the UCI Cyclocross World Championship in favour of classic preparation, but won on a mountain bike in Spain's Super Cup Massi La Nuca on 2 May.

His spring campaign was temporarily suspended when he crashed ahead of the Italia Basque Country and did not start the race, but culminated with a victory in the Amstel Gold Race before taking a break from the road.

Pidcock competed in the Nove Mesto MTB World Cup at the end of the 5th month, beating Switzerland's Nino Schurter and Marcel Guerrini to win the Elite Men's cross-country.

Pidcock's limited off・road schedule is similar to what he undertook before winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, except that he did not race the Tour de France 3 years ago in 2021.

The Olympic cross-country race for Elite men takes place on 7/29.