'Kids, get out riding with your mates, have fun' urges the young Brit
(Image credit: SAFA Brian)
Tom Pidcock has taken to social media to address safety concerns after a video of his descending skills went viral on Wednesday.
On the evening of Tuesday, February 21, a video of Pidcock descending 'Tuna Canyon' in Los Angeles was uploaded to YouTube. It was filmed in October by Brian 'Safa' Wagner, who followed closely behind wearing helmet-mounted and chest-mounted GoPros. It was then uploaded to Wagner's 'SAFA Brian' account. By Thursday morning, more than 420,000 people had watched.
Most commenters were in awe of the Briton's skills, with some describing it as art, flawless, and captivating. However, a percentage of the video's viewers have focussed not on the skill, but the risks involved, with even Pidcock himself describing it as "sketchy."
One commenter pointed out that Pidcock was "literally putting his season on the line," while another added "can’t imagine his team will be too thrilled seeing this."
"For those asking, I did recce the descent a few times," Pidcock claimed, his Strava proving at least one dry run an hour before the daredevil descent. "It was a one way and there was a car ahead making sure all clear."
The descent, which spans 4.4km, drops 390 metres at an average gradient of -9.75%, maxing out at -18%. It comprises 65 corners of varying severity, with one of the early bends almost catching Pidcock out, causing what appeared to be a pedal strike.
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"I've been told it's a 'kids don't try this at home' one - very true!" he continued, before adding "but kids, get out riding with your mates, have fun, ive [sic] been 1000s of hours messing around on bikes with my mates before I had [the] skills to do this."
This claim holds true with Pidcock's slow but certain progression into professional cycling. After winning numerous national and world titles on the road, time trial and cyclo-cross during his teens, including the British National Elite Men's Circuit Championships title aged just 17, his step up to the WorldTour was inevitable, and teams were vying for his signature even then.
Pidcock atop the podium as Men's Junior Time Trial world champion in 2017 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
But the Briton continued to take things slowly, to work on his skills, and to 'mess around'. With a continued focus on the skills-oriented cyclo-cross, he won the Junior and U23 world titles alongside forays into various other disciplines such as the electric mountain bike world championships - he won that too, of course.
Pidcock on the way to winning the e-MTB world championships in 2020 (Image credit: Rob Jones)
The skills he's gained have proved useful on the road too. His recent time trial at the Volta ao Algarve saw him misjudge a corner and go wide, but where many others would have seen their race end in a heap on the ground in similar circumstances, Pidcock hopped into the verge, almost wall-riding the nearby bank, before bouncing back onto the road unharmed.
"Enjoy and be safe out there" Pidcock fittingly concluded.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
