"Next year we can return with the right ambitions" - Tom Pidcock's coach doesn't think he can finish in Tour de France top five
Cycling
Tom Pidcock's Tour de France ambitions and reality seem as much of a mystery than ever, despite being six days into the race. The Pinarello Q36.5 rider has offered both cautious and ambitious opinions of his general classification.
However the British rider's coach has dampened speculation that he has the level to finish among the top five in the GC when all is said and done in Paris. Kurt Bogaerts believes the priority should be to show himself best across the three weeks, and emerge from the Tour with confidence.
Pidock sits well up in the overall standings after five stages. He's currently in 15th place, 1:22 down on Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard's high water mark for the pre-stage favourites. However, all the leading contenders are several minutes behind Torstein Traeen's yellow jersey after he and the breakaway turned the GC upside down on stage 4.
But the playing field is set to be levelled and hierarchy re-shuffled on Thursday as the Col du Tourmalet offers the first true high mountain test and a chance for Pidcock to demonstrate exactly what level he's at.
“For Tom and me, it is pretty clear,” Bogaerts told In de Leiderstrui. “We want to finish the Tour. That is one goal. And above all, we want to come out of it motivated, so that next year we can return with the right ambitions.”
Pidcock's interrupted season
When it comes to his 2026 preparation for the race, Bogaerts noted Pidcock's worrying crash at the Volta a Catalunya as a marker that set him back. The mountain-bike Olympic champion fell into a ravine and a knee injury forced him out of action.
“Catalonia changed everything a bit. He had a really good feeling. But when you then cannot do anything for eleven days, that is very unusual.”
After returning to racing and just an illness seeing him pull out of the Tour de Suisse last month, Bogaerts is keen to see how pidcock will fare over the course of the race - but thinks a top five is out of his reach.
Bogaerts said: “He wants to see where his limit is in the classification and how far he can go. But that is not really on the agenda right now."
Bogaerts thinks top five would be a surprise
He added: “If Tom finishes top five here in the Tour, that would be quite a surprise."
Pidcock himself has remained optimistic. He lost time on stage 2's punchy finish in Barcelona, but noted a lack of race speed giving him a needed reality check ahead of tougher tests.
Read also
Speaking after the stage, the British rider struck a positive note despite losing contact with the very front in the final push towards the Olympic Stadium. “We took control today,” Pidcock said. “We were not afraid to keep ourselves in the game. Chapeau to the boys.”
“I think, in the end, just missed a little bit of that race speed,” Pidcock added. “But it’s nice to be reminded how high the level is in the Tour. Get a nice reality check.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment