"I don’t know why everyone’s talking about it so much" – Tom Pidcock unmoved by Kigali Worlds altitude and air-quality concerns
Cycling
Tom Pidcock insists he is untroubled by the conditions awaiting riders in the men's elite road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, brushing aside talk of altitude struggles and poor air quality that have been a feature of the Worlds so far.
The Yorkshireman, who arrives off the back of a strong Vuelta a Espana where he sealed a first ever Grand Tour podium finish for both himself and his Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, admitted he has not logged a full block of post-Grand Tour training, but feels the course and the climbing on offer are well suited to him.
“I don’t really think it’s proper altitude,” Pidcock told Cycling Pro Net ahead of Sunday’s road race. “I don’t know why everyone’s talking about it so much. Maybe there’s a bit of air pollution, but I don’t think it’s too bad.”
A contrast to rivals’ complaints
Several riders earlier in the week voiced concerns about Rwanda’s testing conditions, with Bruno Armirail citing the “heat and altitude” as limiting factors in his time trial, while others suggested poor air quality in Kigali could complicate recovery. Pidcock, however, has played down those issues, emphasising that he feels unaffected by either element after his reconnaissance.
He and his British team only rode the short lap of the circuit, but his first impressions were clear. “The climbs are hard, that’s for sure. But the roads are wide and really fast, so I think it’ll take a while before the bunch starts to thin out. It’s quite a flowing circuit.”
A course that might suit
With the men’s elite road race featuring repeated ascents and a punishing cobbled climb likened to the Kwaremont, Pidcock recognises that the parcours aligns with his strengths, but with one notable caveat. “With this amount of climbing, it suits me,” he said. “But that cobbled climb – it’s a perfect Tadej [Pogacar] climb.”
After a Vuelta in which he proved his durability across three weeks and confirmed his credentials against the sport’s grand tour heavyweights, Pidcock arrives in Kigali as an outsider who could thrive if the expected Evenepoel-Pogacar duel turns cagey. Whether the course plays into his hands will depend on how attritional the race becomes – and whether his dismissive take on altitude holds up once the Rainbow Jersey is on the line.
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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- 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
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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