"Chris Froome was 28 when he won his first Tour and Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas were even 32" - No rush for Tom Pidcock to focus solely on Grand Tours insists coach
Cycling
For the INEOS Grenadiers, chances of winning a Grand Tour in the coming year look somewhat slim. As they look to get back to Tour de France winning contention, Tom Pidcock is often touted as their leading man of the future.
A former winner atop Alpe d'Huez, Pidcock can clearly climb and in his first general classification challenge last year the Brit took a competitive 13th overall. As his coach, Kurt Bogaerts points out in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad though, time is on Pidcock's side. "Chris Froome was 28 when he won his first Tour and Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas were even 32," the coach notes.
A big question mark over Pidcock's Tour de France winning goals however are arguably his multi-discipline capabilities. Would Pidcock need to drop his cyclocross and mountain bike intentions and fully concentrate on Grand Tour riding? Bogaerts isn't so sure. "It will remain that way for a while. It fits in with the bigger picture to win the Tour," he insists.
"He has very few adjustment problems when he switches between cross, road and mountain bike. He will continue to race next winter too," continues Pidcock's coach. "He has become stronger physically and mentally. In modern cycling you are not really allowed to experiment anymore. Yet he does all those disciplines and is allowed to explore the areas."
In 2024, the Tour de France is once again expected to be on Pidcock's calendar. What are the realistic goals for the Brit heading in though? "After Liège-Bastogne-Liège we will take stock. Tom also wants to extend his Olympic mountain bike title. In the Tour we hope he grows and improves and we hope he scores in the classics," says Bogaerts.
"There is a very well thought-out plan behind this that is logically connected, with rest periods. The explosiveness he trains in cyclocross can then become a weapon in lap work in the long term. Once in his strongest years, after the age of 26, he knows where he can score and how to go about it."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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