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Tom Pidcock's ‘reality check' from his first Giro d'Italia

The Independent

6 days ago

General
The Independent

Tom Pidcock's ‘reality check' from his first Giro d'Italia

Tom Pidcock has reflected on his first Giro d'Italia with Q36.5, saying 'we came in pretty ambitious, and we got a bit of a reality check'. Pidcock finished 16th overall, missing a stage win but securing four top-10 finishes, including a third-place on stage five. Pidcock has expressed enthusiasm for Q36.5, noting a 'new lease of life' and increased team profile, demonstrated by wildcards to the Giro and Vuelta a Espana. A puncture and crash on stage nine thwarted Pidcock's biggest chance, but he believes the team gained respect from World Tour teams. Pidcock aims to perform well in the second half of the season, including the World Cup in Andorra, European Championships, the Vuelta, and Il Lombardia, while considering his future in cyclocross.

‘I was pretty pissed off': Tom Pidcock on his first Giro d'Italia and life after Ineos as his new team's leader

The Independent

6 days ago

Business
The Independent

‘I was pretty pissed off': Tom Pidcock on his first Giro d'Italia and life after Ineos as his new team's leader

Tom Pidcock 's first Giro d'Italia has been a 'challenging' one. Sitting in a hotel on the outskirts of Rome, only a few hours before the race's final stage, the Q36.5 rider is visibly tired, but says there are plenty of positives to take from the team's first Grand Tour. 'We came in pretty ambitious, and we got a bit of a reality check, I think,' he admits. 'We came here knowing that it was going to be challenging but also we wanted to come out better. We didn't achieve that stage win or that top 10 on GC, but I think for a first attempt, it's not the end of the world. It's definitely the best grand tour I've ever ridden in terms of how I feel on the last day.' Pidcock's experience of grand tours in general has been mixed, from the high of his dazzling win on Alpe d'Huez in the 2022 Tour de France, to a series of top-20 overall finishes, solid achievements but below where he wants to be. The Red Bull athlete finished 16th overall in Rome, 44 minutes behind Simon Yates, while a stage win eluded him despite his and the team's best efforts. Four top-10 places — including fifth on the opening stage in Albania and third on stage five — were 'a bit frustrating, but then again it was not bad'. He rues a missed opportunity on stage 20, when his radio broke and he wasn't aware the peloton had split going through a cobbled town, meaning he missed the breakaway. 'I was pretty pissed off,' he admits. Now halfway through his first season since his contentious departure from British juggernaut Ineos Grenadiers, Pidcock's enthusiasm about Q36.5 remains undimmed. He is open about having 'a new lease of life' with the team, who sit the tier below World Tour teams like Ineos and Yates' Visma-Lease a Bike, and are dependent on wildcards for access to the biggest races. Pidcock says this was never a source of concern, with Q36.5 racing in the classics, one-day races which suit him best. 'It's not like I need any race to enjoy racing or riding my bike,' he says. His sheer star power has massively increased the team's profile, with the Swiss outfit awarded a wildcard to both the Giro and the Vuelta a Espana. For both Pidcock and his team, the race was about proving themselves. 'The idea was we'd race to win every day — or every day that suited me, and do the best GC I could.' They particularly targeted stage nine, a gravel stage into Siena on some of the same roads as Strade Bianche, a race he won in 2023 and came second in this year. But stage nine was another disappointment; Pidcock punctured and was caught up in a crash along with pre-race favourite Primoz Roglic before finishing 15th. '[It] was probably my biggest chance and I had a lot of bad luck that day, but the team rode incredible and they held their own, and they can be proud of that. 'I think we gained a lot of respect in the first part of the year from the World Tour teams, in the way we ride. That's where we need to continue building.' Pidcock started the year brilliantly, winning two stages and the overall at his first race, the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia in January. Strong showings at Tirreno-Adriatico and Strade Bianche followed, but he says: 'I think I've paid the price for coming out so strong, to be honest. I was super motivated at the start of the year. Even in January camp I was in super good shape. It's been a long time since then, kind of missed that extra few per cent.' Asked about his attitude at the start of the season, and whether it was important to come out swinging given the circumstances of his transfer, he chooses his words carefully. 'It was,' he says eventually. 'I was super motivated, focused, just to show that… that it was the right thing, and to prove myself, I guess. I had a point to prove.' At Ineos Pidcock was one of several potential GC contenders, alongside Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal, Carlos Rodriguez, and the veteran Geraint Thomas. He says the experience of being his new team's sole focal point has been 'amazing'. 'There's been just me, and everyone there to support me. But in the Giro the last week, where we're just kind of hanging on, it's difficult to still be the guy with that responsibility, because you're not doing that well and you still have to keep everyone together. I feel pressure, but I did my best.' His attitude towards racing for general classification is also different at Q36.5. 'This year was more coming from me. In Ineos there was always someone who was better at GC, or who was actually [committed to it] and I was there like, 'Ah, see what you can do'. Then it's half-hearted. When it's that bad day and you have to dig deep it's like, 'it's OK, because we still have this [other] guy'. Whereas now it's all on me.' One apparent source of tension between Pidcock — a double Olympic mountain bike champion and a former cyclocross world champion — and Ineos had been his off-road ambitions, which sat uneasily with Ineos's focus on road racing. It is ironic, then, although completely understandable, that Pidcock skipped the last cyclocross season as he settled into his new team, and the 25-year-old admitted that he won't necessarily return to it. 'I needed a proper reset, and it definitely worked well for the first part of the year,' he says. 'We'll see [about the future]. Cyclocross is tough, we race so much on the road and then to also be mentally racing through the winter as well, it's hard.' Asked whether juggling competing ambitions across so many different disciplines is feasible, Pidcock takes his time before answering. 'I think as a young rider, yeah. But as you get older, you can't keep on the throttle so much, I feel. You have less energy, and you have to use it more carefully.' He will be back in action on the mountain bike this summer, at the World Cup in Andorra and the European Championships, before turning his attention to the second half of his season. 'I want to end the year well with the Worlds and [Il] Lombardia, and the Vuelta we need to think about what we want to do.' He chuckles wryly at the memory of last year's Il Lombardia, when Ineos made the surprise decision to deselect him from the team despite his obviously good form and a second place at the previous race, the Giro dell'Emilia. The Vuelta in September represents another chance for Q36.5 and Pidcock to target the general classification over three weeks. He is non-committal about whether that will be his aim. 'Here I had a certain level which was just a bit below the top 10 GC guys. I got three weeks in my legs but I don't want to spend energy every day for that; if I want to do GC I really want to be in the mix and want to win stages on the super hard days, which I think I can. But I want to sit down and really chat with the team and see where the gaps are.' It's a work in progress, but Pidcock believes it's moving in the right direction.

Giro d'Italia: Pedersen dominates another sprint finish to win stage five

The Guardian

14-05-2025

Sport
The Guardian

Giro d'Italia: Pedersen dominates another sprint finish to win stage five

Mads Pedersen continued his domination of sprint finishes at the Giro d'Italia by winning stage five on Wednesday, his third stage victory of this year's race which extended the Danish rider's overall lead. At the end of the 151km ride from Celglie Messapica to Matera, Pedersen appeared to struggle with the pace on the climb to the finish, but recovered before starting his dash to the line early, just managing to hold off the challengers. Italian Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) almost caught the Lidl-Trek man on the line but had to settle for second place, ahead of Britain's Tom Pidcock (Q36.5). Pedersen's 10-second bonus for the win stretched his lead to 17 seconds over Slovenia's Primoz Roglic. Full report to follow …

Giro leader Pedersen sprints to another stage victory

CNA

14-05-2025

Sport
CNA

Giro leader Pedersen sprints to another stage victory

Rejuvenated Pidcock relishing Giro d'Italia debut

CNA

09-05-2025

Sport
CNA

Rejuvenated Pidcock relishing Giro d'Italia debut

Britain's double Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock, enjoying a new lease of life after his split with Ineos Grenadiers, has said he cannot wait to start his hunt for stage wins on his debut at the Giro d'Italia. Pidcock admitted he had become disenchanted on the road before his fall-out with the British team last year but a move to the fledgling Q36.5 Pro Team has worked wonders. Let off the leash by the Swiss team, 25-year-old all-rounder Pidcock won the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia at the start of the year, was third at the Vuelta a Andalucia and came second to Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche in Italy. Known for his pure racer's mentality and willingness to take risks, Pidcock said he will be going full gas from day one in the Giro which starts in Albania on Saturday. The opening stage, a hilly 160km trek from Durres with a technical and punchy circuit around Tirana to finish, could be a prime opportunity for Pidcock to grab the leaders' maglia rosa. "The main reason I've come here is to get stuck in every day, to enjoy racing the Giro and opportunities will come if I do that," Pidcock said on the eve of the race. "I've got shape coming out of the Ardennes Classics and I'm looking forward to taking that into the race. "I think Strade definitely was a big performance as it showed I've got closer. Tadej is on another level - the only guy beating him is Mathieu (van der Poel) on his terrain - so I think Strade was definitely a confidence boost." Q36.5 are a second-tier team but have been given a wildcard into the Giro and will be contesting their first Grand Tour with Pidcock as their main man. He said the move had given him the opportunity to take more responsibility. "I like being responsible for everything, for my own destiny, if you like," he said. "It's a big responsibility which helps me to get the most out of myself. "I have a good relationship with Italy, I won the Baby Giro (in 2020), and it (the Giro) is a race I've wanted to do for a while. I wanted to do it last year and I'm excited I've got the opportunity now."