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If you haven’t seen it yet, stop everything. Open YouTube, type World’s BEST Descender? Tom Pidcock, put on headphones, and press play. You are about to witness a rare moment: an athlete in a state of grace. Or rather: an athlete who has transformed gravity into a playground. But what’s even more interesting than the video itself is what it says about modern cycling. And above all, how it can change your own practice.
By Jeff Tatard
🎥 5 minutes 28 of pure control
Tom Pidcock descends the Rossfeld Panoramastraße at an otherworldly pace. Not just because he’s fast. But because he’s fast without violence, without tension, without noise. He lets the bike do the talking. He lets the slope flow.
We see a rider leaning, anchored, relaxed. We see trajectories as taut as bows, millimeter-perfect braking, fluid accelerations. We don’t see a guy playing with his life. We see a rider who masters every inch.
And at this level of mastery, it’s no longer descending: it’s art.
What this video teaches us about cycling… and about ourselves
High-level cycling isn’t just about watts, FTPs, and Strava records. It’s also – and perhaps above all – the ability to handle the bike. 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 in the turn.
- Your ability to let the bike work beneath you.
- Your relaxation, your support points, your position in the turn.
- Your trajectories. Always your trajectories.
Because that’s what will make you go faster without taking more risks. That’s what will make you safer, more fluid, more efficient… and therefore faster.
The mistake we all make: neglecting descents
Many cyclists see descending as a reward after the effort. We grit our teeth on the climb, then “coast” on the descent. And often, we do it in tourist mode.
Pidcock reminds us of a simple truth: if you really want to improve on the bike, you can no longer ignore descents.
Because in a race, a sportive, a serious training session:
- Gaining time on climbs is hard.
- Gaining time on descents is free… if you know how.
And no, that doesn’t mean “descending full gas”. It means descending cleanly, quickly, precisely. Like in this video.
What you can learn (and apply) right now
- Work on your gaze. Learn to anticipate. The bike goes where you look.
- Refine your position. Lower your center of gravity, relax your upper body, find your balance.
- Choose a road, and repeat. A pass, a descent you know. Do it 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 Pidcock video, but also those of Sagan, Nibali, Mohorič. Observe. Imitate. Experiment.
In summary: this video isn’t just watched, it’s studied
Yes, it’s a spectacle. Yes, it’s aesthetic. But it’s above all a masterclass. We’re not asking you to take the same risks (and they’re not even that many, when you’re at this level). But on 3bikes, we invite you to see descending not as a passive phase, but as a field for expression, learning, and progress. Because on a bike, it’s not just “climbing hard” that makes you good. It’s being complete. Stable. Refined. Intelligent.
And on that, Pidcock has just set the bar very, very high.
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