Leeds' Pidcock crowned World Under-23s cyclo-cross champion

Talented Leeds teenager Tom Pidcock was crowned World Under-23 Cyclo-cross champion in Luzembourg on Saturday '“ and led Great Britain to an impressive clean sweep of the podium with Doncaster's Ben Turner third and Londoner Dan Tulett second.
Tom Pidcock. Picture: SWpix.comTom Pidcock. Picture: SWpix.com
Tom Pidcock. Picture: SWpix.com

Pidcock controlled the race virtually from the start, extending a 38-second lead over Tulett and giving himself plenty of time to celebrate the win at a snow-covered and icy Bieles, where he stopped short of the finish line and raised his bike aloft before walking over the finish line to the cheers of the crowd.

The reigning European and British junior champion, 17-year-old Pidcock and the rest of the British riders all wore black armbands in memory of Under-16 national champion Charlie Craig who died in his sleep just days earlier, and it only added to the emotion of the 1-2-3 for Pidcock.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s amazing to get all three of us on the podium, it’s history in the making,” said Pidcock. “Before the race some of the Under-23 riders went out on the course and said it was just like sheet ice, so I made a last-minute tyre change, and it paid off as they were perfect for the conditions.”

And Doncaster-based Turner, who took third, said: “It’s like a dream, the race went really well although I was a bit upset about some of the crashes I had! I put it all on the line and it has paid off!”