Pidcock dedicates world-title triumph to Tarling
Great Britain's Tom Pidcock won his second cross-country mountain bike world title at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, and dedicated the victory to British cyclist Fin Tarling, who died aged 19 following an accident at the Volta a Portugal earlier this month. Pidcock, a two-time Olympic champion, paid an emotional tribute to Tarling and his brother Josh after the win, adding a further layer of poignancy to a strong championship for the British team.
Pidcock, who had entered the event at the last minute after finishing ninth at this year's Tour de France, finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Charlie Aldridge to add to the world title he won in 2023, crossing the line in one hour 25 minutes and 26 seconds despite a heavy training crash days earlier. Canada's Cole Punchard took bronze, while Switzerland's Sina Frei won the women's race ahead of Britain's Evie Richards in sixth. Elsewhere at the championships, Richards and Aldridge both narrowly missed out on short track gold, and Britain's Harriet Harnden and Jordan Williams took downhill bronze medals in the women's and men's events respectively.
In short
- Tom Pidcock wins second mountain bike world title, dedicates it to Fin Tarling
- Tarling, 19, died after a crash at the Volta a Portugal
- Charlie Aldridge took silver; Britain also won short track and downhill medals
Explained simply
Cross-country mountain biking is a race over rough terrain, with riders climbing and descending a marked course. The world championships bring together national teams, and the winner earns the sport’s world title for that year.
Tom Pidcock is a British cyclist who competes in mountain biking and road racing, and has won two Olympic titles. Fin Tarling was a 19-year-old British cyclist who died after an accident during the Volta a Portugal, a stage race held in Portugal; his brother Josh is also a cyclist.
The result matters to British cycling because it adds to the country’s record at a major international championship. It also came as riders and teams were remembering Tarling.