In the realm of the superstars
I think Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.6 Pro Cycling) should have won. He lost because he mistimed his attack in the final 100 metres; if he’d attacked 10 meters earlier, he probably would have won. He was gaining on the world champion with every pedal stroke, but the finish line just came a bit too soon. After expressing his disappointment right after Saturday’s race (“It hurts when you come so close. If Tadej had gone solo and I’d finished second on my own, I’d probably be sitting here happy. But this was 4 centimeters, and that hurts a lot.”), he came to the Volta a Catalunya on Monday with a more upbeat perspective.
“I feel much better about it now,” Pidcock told CyclingProNet before the start of stage 1. “I think, actually, winning by such close margins, [but] also losing by such close margins, is what makes the times when you win better. I think also if I’d won, it would have been like… It’s a bit of a fluke. But now, I’ve proved I’m strong enough to challenge for the win. So hopefully, in the future, if I can win, it’s more deserved.”
Pidcock looked strong on the Catalunya’s first stage, going for the win with a long sprint attempt on the uphill finish (500 m @5%). But he was overtaken 200 metres from the line by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) and the eventual winner, Dorian Godon (INEOS Grenadiers). “Everyone said San Remo is not so hard,” he said afterwards. “But actually my legs felt pretty heavy today at the start of the race, and then I felt pretty good here in the end.”
This is rarified air that Pidcock is breathing now, usually the realm of Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Premier Tech), and Evenepoel in the classics. Now he has to prove that it wasn’t a “fluke,” that he belongs in this company. Fortunately, he’ll have plenty of chances to do that this spring in the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and especially Liège–Bastogne–Liège. In one or more of these races, he’ll be facing Pogačar, Evenepoel, Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), and Pogačar’s super-talented lieutenant, Isaac del Toro. Then, in July, he will tackle the Tour de France.
Can Pidcock win the Tour?
The question then will be if Pidcock’s near-success in the one-day Milano–San Remo (or any other Classics success he picks up) translates into a strong performance in the Tour. In other words, having (nearly) matched Pogačar in a one-day race, can he keep that up for three weeks? He did finish third in last year’s Vuelta a España, behind Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida, but the Tour is a different beast and Pogačar seems to own it. In addition, this year’s version of Vingegaard appears to be an improvement on the rider who won the Vuelta last year, while still carrying some residual effects of that terrible crash in the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country. He has declared that he is finally over that crash, and his performance in Paris-Nice seemed to confirm that.
This means that Pidcock will be riding against the riders who have won the last six Tours and are at their best. Pinarello Q36.5 have upgraded its materials, now using bikes produced by its new name sponsor, and strengthened the support squad, having added Eddy Dunbar, Fred Wright, Chris Harper, Thomas Gloag, and Sam Bennett during the past year’s transfer season, so he will have every chance to prove that he belongs with the best.
While he has not set specific goals for the Tour, Pidcock said earlier this year, on the team’s website, “I think it’s a massive opportunity. I’ve had ups and downs in the Tour de France the last years, so it’s nice now, with this new team, to earn our own place there. It’s the biggest stage we have to race on. With that comes so much baggage, but I think, in this team, they help me carry it all.”
He went on to say that his biggest objective at the Tour “is to go there, enjoy the suffering, enjoy the intensity of the race, the media, the racing… I think if we can enjoy it and enjoy the suffering as a team, then the results will come from that. I think we’re a team that’s growing, so to have the opportunity to go and race the Tour is just one step along the way. Of course, where we want to go is to be at the Tour de France every year, racing every year for wins.”
“Wins” sounds like the goal is to win stages, rather than the GC, though it’s probably a mistake to expect to find long-term strategy revelations in team statements. This will be his team’s first Tour, having finally been granted a wild-card invitation, so a stage win or two and a top 5 in the GC would probably be considered a success. Pidcock’s performance in the Volta a Catalunya, with its three big climbing stages, should provide some clues to his climbing ability this year.
Pidcock’s personal experience in the Tour with his previous team, INEOS Grenadiers, was one of frustration. He did win the Alpe d’Huez stage in 2022 with a stunning solo descent and climb, and he finished 13th in the GC in 2023. Other than that, the experience was a depressing mix of unclear communications and underachievement. But the 26-year-old Briton is a different rider now. He proved that last Saturday. But just how different is he?
It’s probably unfair to expect him to win the Tour this year and perhaps also in 2027. But given the trajectory of his improvement, and assuming that he still has untapped potential in his tank, 2028 just could be the year when he sets the yellow jersey as his goal. Of course, by then, the number of serious contenders for the jersey will have grown with the additions of Seixas and del Toro. Well, nobody said it would be easy.
