Tom Pidcock is the best cyclist in the world says former Olympic champion Ed Clancy

By Paul Martin in Paris

Ed Clancy has hailed Tom Pidcock as ‘the best cyclist in the world’ and believes he will soon be surpassed as Yorkshire’s most successful Olympian.

Pidcock, from Leeds, defended his mountain bike gold in thrilling fashion in Paris, defying a puncture to pip home favourite Victor Koretzky to the post.

The 25-year-old later finished 13th in the road race, admitting his cross-country efforts ‘took more out of me than I thought’, and where the versatile rider puts his focus next is uncertain.

Reports have linked him with a move away from Ineos Grenadiers, with whom he withdrew from last month’s Tour de France after testing positive for Covid, but Clancy is sure he will make a success of whatever direction he chooses to travel.

“Tom is the best rider in the world,” he said. “Maybe I’m biased as a Yorkshireman, but his bike handling skills, tactical awareness, how he can climb, sprint, he can do Classics, Grand Tours, I think he’s the best around.

“Tom is already way more successful than I was. He’s got two Olympic golds and he’s still in his mid-20s.

“If he wants to pursue that, he could stack up Olympic medals for the next two or three Games.

"I don’t think anyone truly knows what his future is. He clearly has a gift for one-day classics so maybe he wants to lean into that. But it would be a shame if he ever left mountain biking behind as he’s so good at it.

“I like when people do multi-disciplines, I really do – even if he does replace me as Yorkshire’s greatest Olympian.”

Barnsley’s Clancy was part of a British team pursuit squad who won three successive golds in Beijing, London, and Rio.

His role in Paris will be taken on by Wakefield’s Oliver Wood, who his predecessor thinks can help inspire a return to the podium after Team GB missed out in Tokyo.

“I think the Brits are the favourites,” he said.

“Maybe I’m biased but I think they are really well positioned. It’s a team of superstars.

“Ollie Wood is lower profile, but he has replaced me beautifully as the start person and then you have Dan Bigham, he’s brought so much to that team with his strategic knowledge.

“There’s Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Charlie Tanfield – they all have massive aerobic engines, which is exactly what you need these days in team pursuit.

“It’s different to my day, it’s so much faster and they are so slippery in aerodynamic terms.

“There will be some fast times whoever wins, there’s no doubt about that.”

With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, including vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport. To find out more visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk