Europe has excellent public transport, and for many journeys between cities and countries, the train makes more sense than flying or driving.
But cyclists will use any excuse to ride. Especially the pros.
For the world’s most in-form all-rounder, Tom Pidcock, there were options of getting from one UCI World Cup mountain bike venue to another.
Having dominated the second round in Albstadt (Germany), Pidcock could have taken the team car to Nové Mesto (Czech Republic), for round three. But he chose to ride.
The rider with boundless energy
If you take the recommended Google routing, the distance between these two UCI World Cup mountain bike events is a mighty 740km. Some clever backroad routing trims that to about 540km.
Pidcock didn’t link the entire distance by bike. He rode a portion of it. But it still ranks as a fantastic European cross-border commute. Especially for a rider who’d produced a World Cup winning performance on Sunday. Pidcock's effort ranks as a recovery ride like no other.
A big ride - with lots of speed
Riding his Team Ineos Grenadiers Pinarello Dogma F road bike, Pidcock covered 190km with 2141m of climbing. His total ride time was 05:48.46, at a rapid average speed of 32.7km.
While most of his rivals took the team car or train from Albstadt to Nové Mesto, for this weekend’s UCI World Cup, Pidcock preferred to get in an additional training session.
Was it necessary? Probably not. Does it prove that he loves riding bikes and is a potential cycling legend in the making? Absolutely.
