"In Bilbao he distanced Jonas Vingegaard uphill" – After Vuelta podium, Tom Pidcock urged to follow Geraint Thomas’ patient path to Tour de France glory

Tom Pidcock’s third place at the 2025 Vuelta a Espana has been hailed as a turning point in his career – not only by the rider himself, but also by his long-time coach Kurt Bogaerts. Yet while the 26-year-old’s breakthrough on GC has reignited debate about his Grand Tour potential, Bogaerts insists patience is required. In fact, the Belgian believes Pidcock has the perfect role model to follow, in former teammate Geraint Thomas’ gradual rise to Tour de France glory.

Until this summer, Pidcock’s relationship with three-week racing was uneasy at best. He had repeatedly declared that winning the Tour de France was his ultimate ambition, yet admitted the discipline felt monotonous compared to the spontaneity of the Classics or mountain biking. But in Spain, for the first time, he committed fully to riding for the overall classification – and the payoff was a historic podium.

“In Grand Tours you can’t just race on instinct, and that’s always been very important for Tom,” Bogaerts explained in an interview with Wielerflits afterwards. “At this Vuelta, we consciously put everything behind the GC. It was the first time the classification was the main goal from day one, rather than being a side-project behind something like the Olympics or a mountain bike Worlds.”

That change in focus allowed Pidcock to measure himself directly against the very best climbers. “In the stage to Bilbao he distanced Jonas Vingegaard uphill,” noted Bogaerts. “That was already quite unique and a very positive sign for the future.” For the Belgian, it was proof that the Brit can belong at the sharp end of the sport’s most demanding races.

Still, Bogaerts was quick to temper expectations. “Does this mean the podium should be the goal in every Grand Tour from now on? Absolutely not. If we ride the Tour de France next year, I’d say that would be a dangerous ambition. He needs time, and we have a plan. The competition keeps moving forward as well, so Tom has to progress step by step. Like Geraint Thomas, who didn’t win the Tour until he was 32.”

It’s a comparison that resonates. Thomas’ career arc – from the track, to Classics, then only later to Grand Tour leadership – offers a patient blueprint. Pidcock, by contrast, has often been pulled in different directions: the mountain bike, cyclo-cross, the Monuments and the Tour. According to Bogaerts, that breadth of ambition remains both a strength and a challenge. “We haven’t won a Monument yet, and that’s a goal in itself. But you can’t chase everything at once.”

The Vuelta also highlighted areas where Pidcock still has scope to improve. Historically, his efforts have been optimised for bursts of up to ten minutes, but the longer climbs and time trials of Grand Tours require different conditioning. Since the Giro, Bogaerts says, the Briton has made significant progress in sustaining long efforts, yet it remains a work in progress. “Tom will never be given much rope in breakaways – if he’s to win a Grand Tour, it will be head-to-head against the very best. That means more work in climbing and time trialling. But he also draws energy from other disciplines, and mountain biking will remain a part of his programme.”

Next season’s calendar will therefore be a delicate balancing act. Pidcock has voiced his ambitions for the World Championships on the road, but that depends on how well he recovers from the demands of the Vuelta. At the same time, his team must weigh up whether to return him to the Tour de France as a GC rider, or to continue nurturing him step by step.

For now, though, the Bilbao attack on Vingegaard – and the overall podium – stand as proof that Tom Pidcock is beginning to carve out his place among the sport’s elite climbers. Whether his journey to Tour de France glory follows the patient path of Geraint Thomas or a faster trajectory will depend on how carefully that puzzle is solved.