If you haven't seen it yet, stop everything. Open YouTube, type World's BEST Descender? tom pidcock, put on some headphones and press play. You're about to witness a rare moment: an athlete in a state of grace. Or rather: an athlete who has transformed gravity into his playground. But what's even more interesting than the video itself is what it says about modern cycling. And above all, what it can change for your own practice.
By Jeff Tatard
🎥 5 minutes 28 of pure control
Tom Pidcock speeds down Rossfeld Panoramastraße at an otherworldly paceNot just because he goes fast. But because he goes fast without violence, without tension, without noise. He lets the bike speak. He lets the slope go by.
We see a rider leaning forward, anchored, relaxed. We see lines stretched like arcs, precise braking, and fluid accelerations. We don't see a guy playing with his life. We see a rider who controls every inch.
And at this level of mastery, it's no longer downhill: it's art.
What this video teaches us about cycling… and ourselves
High-performance cycling isn't just about watts, FTPs, and Strava records. It's also—and perhaps most importantly—about riding ability. And in this area, Pidcock is a mutant.
But this video is valuable for another reason: it highlights what we often forget to train.
- Your braking line.
- Your gaze around the bend.
- Your ability to let the bike work beneath you.
- Your release, your support, your position in the turn.
- Your trajectories. Always your trajectories.
Because This is what will make you go faster without taking more risks.This is what will make you safer, smoother, more economical… and therefore faster.
The mistake we all make: neglecting the descents
Many cyclists see the descent as a reward after the effort. We grit our teeth on the climb, we "let ourselves flow" on the descent. And often, we approach it in tourist mode.
Pidcock reminds us of a simple truth: if you really want to improve your cycling, you can no longer ignore the descent.
Because in a race, a cyclosportive, a serious training:
- Saving time on the climb is hard.
- Saving time on the descent is free… if you know how.
And no, that doesn't mean "go all the way down". It means going down cleanly, quickly, and precisely. Like in this video.
What you can learn (and apply) right now
- Work on your vision. Learn to anticipate. The bike goes where you look.
- Refine your position. Lower your center of gravity, relax your upper body, find balance.
- Choose a route, and repeat. A pass, a descent that you know. You do it again, again and again.
- Film yourself. Yes, even with a GoPro. You'll see things you don't feel on the bike.
- Watch the best. This video of Pidcock, but also those of Sagan, Nibali, Mohorič. Observe. Imitate. Experiment.
In summary: this video is not to be watched, it is to be studied.
Yes, it's a spectacle. Yes, it's aesthetic. But above all, it's a masterclass. You are not asked to take the same risks (and they are not even that many, when you are at this level). But on 3bikes, We invite you to see the descent no longer as a passive phase, but as a place of expression, learning, and progression.Because on a bike, it's not just “riding hard” that makes you good. It's being complete. Stable. Slim. Smart.
And on that, Pidcock has just set the bar very, very high..
