Who climbs faster? Tom Pidcock on his MTB or a UTMB winner running

Red Bull has once again pitted two top athletes against each other to see which discipline is faster in the mountains. This time, Tom Pidcock faced off against ultrarunner Tom Evans in a climb of about 7 kilometers to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountain in Wales. One on MTB and the other running the exact same route.

Tom Pidcock vs. Tom Evans: MTB vs. trail running

This is not the first time Pidcock has participated in one of these experiments. A few months ago, he starred in another spectacular Red Bull challenge against Loïc Bruni, where the Brit descended on the road while the five-time DH world champion did so on a mountain bike course. Now it's time to climb.

The two protagonists arrive at the challenge as absolute references in their respective disciplines. Tom Pidcock has just been crowned XCO world champion 2026 in Val di Sole, where he staged a great comeback to claim the rainbow jersey. In addition to his two Olympic golds in XCO, he has a top-level career in road cycling and cyclocross.

Opposite him was Tom Evans, a former British soldier and one of the best ultratrail runners at the moment. In 2025, he won the UTMB, the prestigious race around Mont Blanc, often considered the unofficial World Championship of long-distance trail running. His achievements also include victory in the 2023 Western States 100.

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The approach from Red Bull was very simple. Both had to complete the same trail of approximately 7 kilometers to the summit of Snowdon, located at 1,085 meters above sea level. Pidcock would do it on his mountain bike and Evans, running.

The bike starts in front, but the terrain changes the race

Pidcock manages to take advantage of the greater speed on the bike during the first part of the ascent and takes a small lead. After the first 200 meters of elevation, he is still ahead, although Evans manages to stay very close.

The situation begins to change as the trail becomes more technical. The stones are wet and the slope increases, making it increasingly difficult for Pidcock to maintain his pace due to a lack of traction.

Evans, on the other hand, can maintain his progress running and eventually catches up to the cyclist. When they reach the steepest areas, Pidcock has to get off the bike and start pushing it. That’s where the duel is definitively decided.

With about two kilometers to go, Evans manages to open a gap while Pidcock continues to alternate between sections on the bike and others on foot. The weather also doesn't help in the final part, with rain, wind, and increasingly dense fog near the summit.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tom Evans ends up reaching the summit first, demonstrating that on a sufficiently steep and technical trail, running can ultimately be faster than trying to advance on a mountain bike.

Pidcock acknowledged in the end, after having to carry and push his Pinarello in many of the more complicated areas, that it had not been the best way to climb in that terrain.