Big news! Tom Pidcock announces that he will skip the 2025 Tour de France: "When I come back it'll be with a refreshed energy"
Cycling
In a significant announcement, Tom Pidcock has revealed that he will not participate in the 2025 Tour de France. The 25-year-old British rider shared his decision during an interview with BBC Sport, explaining his intention to take a year off from the prestigious race and return stronger in 2026.
"We'll have a year out from the Tour and try to get to the Tour 2026," Pidcock stated. "I'm happy I've got a year out from it, a break. When I come back it'll be with a refreshed energy."
Pidcock’s 2025 season will mark his first with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, a move he made in December after three successful but challenging years with INEOS Grenadiers. Reflecting on the decision to skip the Tour, he added, "We don't have full control over the calendar – (we) have to get invited (to races). But in theory, we should have all the races that I want to do."
The transition to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team represents a fresh chapter for Pidcock following a turbulent final season with INEOS Grenadiers. Reports indicated a disconnect between Pidcock and the team's leadership regarding goals and ambitions, which ultimately led to his departure.
As Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team does not hold a World Tour licence, the squad relies on wildcard invitations to compete in the sport’s biggest events. This lack of automatic qualification adds an additional layer of uncertainty to Pidcock’s calendar, including his potential participation in other major races.
Despite the challenges, Pidcock’s decision to step away from the Tour de France in 2025 suggests a focus on long-term goals, with the British star aiming to recharge and return to the race with renewed energy and ambition in 2026.
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- Yeah, that would be funny, as long as it doesn’t backfire and we have to wait 20 years to read about it in someone’s autobiography ;-) At least they’re not having a public go at each other like so often in the 100m sprint in athletics or Kerr and Ingebrigtsen.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- This narrative of blaming the rider or the bicycle setup needs to stop. The issue is that the UCI has done nothing to improve the safety of the courses or punish the race organisers for the poor setup of course routes. Instead, the UCI has encouraged this alternative narrative of blaming others - need proof? UCI did nothing to punish the race organisers after the devastating crash at Itzulia Basque Country. Need more proof? UCI did nothing to improve the safety of sprint finishes after the life-changing crash of Fabio Jakobsen in Poland.Pogboom12-01-2025
- for all i know Merlier and Wout are besties and Tim just thought it would be really funny to needle his buddy — “OMG, he’s so much faster than Wout its crazy!” WTF do any of us ever know, really.OCexile12-01-2025
- But no-one is interested in slower, many would like safer so unless they can show that e.g. youth races are safer, it IS useless. It’d be more efficient to electronically limit everyone’s power output at steep gradients (down of course) or specified sections, am sure technically it isn’t that complicated or expensive but there’d be an outcry so forget it.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Agreed, as said here and has been superficially discussed before, it is the whole peleton and race that has gotten faster, the very best like these three, are still only winning by the same margins as elsewhere in history, they haven’t discovered any new distinguishing product. I mean, if an ageing Cavendish, Thomas and others can still deliver sometimes, nothing much can be going on.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Yes, but then again, unlike some, they are not presented with a list of questions to prepare answers and journalists keep the prerogative to reassemble quotes in whatever order makes a story so in many cases we have no context of in which situation/relation he said it. I think, as I’ve implied before, people should revert to taking more time to try and get the feel of what or why someone is saying to get the broad view as opposed to focusing on a detail. I know people love the short and cool statements found on SM but they rarely lead to constructive discussion, reflection or understanding, just impulsive reactions which is great for revealing someone’s feelings but says little about the background that created them.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- I think in his case it might just be lack of mental coaching. He had a great run and it’s gone without visible reasons. 2023? 2024? Blaming others but achieving nothing when allowed to reorganise, somehow it’s not so surprising he’s looking for a team. Am sure he could still mix it occasionally but he needs someone to change his attitude. Going back to tattoos, another interesting and revealing characteristical observation, if you discount cultural and gang related markings, you’ll find more tattoos per person in sport when they are strength types as opposed to endurance. And as news is slow or predictable, here’s another to reflect on (not going to discuss it further here), when you look at types of drink rubbish strewn around in nature (and ignore alcohol induced behaviour), you’ll find a huge disproportion between discarded soft/energy drinks and milk/water/juice. A logical person might imagine that has to do with quantity yet ironically much more milk/water/juice based drinks are sold than energy/soft.Mistermaumau12-01-2025
- Pure power, pure talent and a very good support has come to this day.
James2631812-01-2025 - sure, i totally get that he’s incredibly promising. that would be a great thing to say, “WOW, this kid has a great engine and massive potential, so much he makes me think of a young wout van aert!” i get it though, merlier isn’t a professional spokesman. it’s not his job to always say the right thing. someone shoved a microphone in his face and asked him about young guy he’s really excited to ride with. that’s cool. all good, tim. all i’m saying is in an ideal world he might have said something other than that the 20 year old is A LOT FASTER than one of the greatest racers of this generation.OCexile12-01-2025
- Can’t say for sure it would be safer, but we can say for sure it would be slowermobk12-01-2025