"Riding in the peloton wouldn't be fun" - Tom Pidcock's bravery earns him a place in the fight for the Tour de France

Cycling
Friday, 17 July 2026 at 18:53
Tom Pidcock on stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France
Tom Pidcock put his chips on the breakaway during stage 13 of the Tour de France and it proved to be a successful plan. The Briton jumped into fourth place in the overall classification after taking the race by storm in the long stage that finished in Belfort.

A perfect breakaway 

"I don't think it will be easy for anyone today. I expect the whole peloton will want to join the breakaway," Pidcock recalled in a post-race interview. "These are flat roads, so not easy for lightweight types like me. But the plan is to be in the mix, although important days are coming up".
Pidcock knew that the fight for the stage win would be up front, and the fight for the Top10 could also be decided through time gains on transition days such as these. He was one of two - alongside Jordan Jegat - GC outsiders who were part of a breakaway of around 55 riders. And there was no chasing for hours.
Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team had four riders up front and they each worked to their full extend to extend the gap, alongside a few other teams that had interest early on. Fred Wright, Quinten Hermans and Xandro Meurisse set up Pidcock into the Grand Ballon, where he then took over.
"The guys did a great job. I thought about the stage win for a long time, but the final climb wasn't tough enough to make a difference. After that, it was difficult to control everything on my own".

Fight for Tour de France podium? 

But how did Pidcock find himself in the idesl breakaway? "We were only thinking about the breakaway, if that were possible. I was constantly at the front, because I also knew that riding in the peloton wouldn't be fun. Eventually, we ended up at the front with 40 riders, which was a perfect situation. Everyone worked well together, but it was incredibly fast in the opening phase".
When it came to the Grand Ballon the Briton could no longer make the difference, and when it came to the fight for the stage win he was outnumbered by Jayco and UAE. His legs were strong, and he still ended up third on the day winning the sprint behind the duo of Mauro Schmid and Harold Tejada.
"Third is frustrating, but it was a positive day, so I'll take that with me," he added. In the overall classification battle, several teams chased on in the final hour of racing, but Pidcock still gained 7:30 minutes to his direct competition on the road alone. He is now fourth, nine seconds behind Remco Evenepoel and the Tour podium.
Can he finished there. "It would be nice if I could say that it was possible. But I will lose a few minutes in the time trial anyway, and I will feel my legs tomorrow, that is for sure," he anticipates.
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