After becoming a mountain bike world champion at the weekend, Tom Pidcock is turning his focus towards another rainbow jersey and will head to Canada to build up for the UCI Road World Championships in the same country later this month.
There had been reports in various media outlets that Pidcock was down to ride the Tour of Britain starting on Wednesday, but his Pinarello-Q36.5 team confirmed to Cyclingnews that it was never part of any plans to participate in his home race.
Instead, Pidcock will soon travel to Canada, where he will line up at both of the two WorldTour one-day races, the Grand Prix de Québec on Friday, September 11 and the Grand Prix de Montréal on Sunday, September 13.
The two races are always big events, but this year they are an obvious stepping stone towards the Road World Championships, with the elite men's road race taking place in Montreal on September 27.
Pidcock has not raced on the road since placing 9th overall at the Tour de France, a creditable result but one that didn't yield a stage win or build on his breakout Vuelta a España GC podium from last autumn.
Pidcock has limited time to make the switch back to Worlds, where the punchy Montreal course would seem to suit him well. Winning a rainbow jersey on the road is perhaps Pidcock's biggest career ambition now, having won world titles in mountain bike and cyclo-cross.
The 27-year-old was 10th in Rwanda last year, while his best Worlds finish came in Leuven in 2021 with sixth place.
In 2027, Pidcock plans to step away from the mountain bike before a planned return in 2028 as he builds towards a shot at a third straight Olympic title.
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