Tom Pidcock is one of the most interesting riders to focus on during this year's Tour de France. The Olympic champion is focusing on Mountain Biking pre and post Tour, but he will aim to fight for the overall classification at the Grand Boucle.
The Briton has ridden the previous two Tours but has not cracked the Top10 in either. In 2022 he won on the Alpe d'Huez and was 16th, and last year he was 13th. In both occasions he stayed in the Top10 until the second week but then faded. A strong climber but one who is not very consistent... But most importantly one who is not a specialist in the high mountains where the race is often decided. So it becomes a very difficult task.
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Pidcock was ninth at Tirreno-Adriatico and won Amstel Gold Race this spring, and after a training block he raced to a good result at the Tour de Suisse. After his sixth spot in Suisse, Pidcock was quite positive on his form: "I think this week really shows what training can do. We raced in the mountains for five days in a row and I got better every day, so that's very positive for me."
Pidcock will need all the consistency he can get, and thrive in the high-altitude, and multi-mountain stages, which is far from his specialty as a rider. INEOS will also have Carlos Rodríguez and Egan Bernal as leaders for the race, whilst the Briton is not only set for, but wants a free role throughout the three weeks.
"I am going to decide what I want my Tour to be this year," Pidcock said in a recent interview with PA news agency. "Nobody else. Otherwise you don’t get anything from me. I need to be able to believe in my mission at the Tour."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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TT mode: Activated 🔛 A big week of National Championship action kicks off with the time trial events. Starting tomorrow, we have six Grenadiers in action in four different countries 🇬🇧🇳🇴🇮🇹🇨🇦
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