"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
CyclingThursday, 09 July 2026 at 11:44
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.
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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.
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