Tom Pidcock has announced his road calendar for the season, which includes the Vuelta a España, Strade Bianche, and the UCI Road World Championships.
The British all-rounder has also decided to move up his official start date at Ineos Grenadiers by one month, joining the Dave Brailsford-led team in early February, just after the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
"I will finish cross on January 31 and move to Ineos in February," the 21-year-old confirmed on the Lantern Rouge cycling podcast.
"It was March, but they decided to change it to February. I will be running the Mediterranean Epic, the mountain bike race, and the opening weekend with the Volta Ao Algarve. There is no time to rest.
"Me and my coach have an idea. My first race is Strade Bianche, but hopefully I'll do a big block of mountain biking in June and then the Olympics. Then I want to do the Vuelta and then the road world championships."
Pidcock has never competed in a Grand Tour, but he has a solid pedigree in stage races, as evidenced by his three wins in the 2020 Baby Giro, which he dominated by a wide margin over his closest rivals.
The full routes for both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España have yet to be announced, but given his schedule and summer focus on mountain biking, the Vuelta appears the most likely option at this stage. Pidcock believes he is ready for the three-week challenge and is fully willing to support the team if he is selected.
"I want to do the Grand Tour. I don't intend to participate as a leader, but I can support the team. I'm happy to do that. There's no pressure, and it's easier to perform when there's no pressure. I like working for other people."
One race not in Pidcock's plans this year is Paris-Roubaix, but the winner of both the junior and under-23 races, he hopes to at least try a World Tour race in 2022 and one day compete for victory on the Roubaix velodrome He hopes to.
"I won't ride this year, but I want to ride next year.
"For sure, if I win, I will be the first rider under 60 kg to win, so that is my goal. Whether I can win or not, ...... I don't have the pure power of the bigger athletes. Especially when the fans come back"
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For now, Pidcock continues to focus on cyclocross in preparation for the elite world championships later this month. Pidcock believes that his current training regime and "cross" activities will serve him well on the road if he can add stamina and endurance to his program. "It's impossible to replicate a cyclocross race in training," Pidcock says. They're so fast now," he says.
." Just doing cyclocross for road training is the best training you can do for the road.
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