"Then the next best rider is less hard to beat" - Tom Pidcock anticipates an open Pogacar-less World Championships
CyclingMonday, 14 September 2026 at 23:00
The 2026 World Championships are shaping up to be quite the exciting race. With course "not too-hard", and a without the defending champion Tadej Pogacar, riders like Tom Pidcock suddenly wind up among serious podium - if not title - contenders.
And the 27-year-old Brit is in-shape - as much is clear from his appearances in Canada this past week when he finished 4th at Grand Prix de Québec and 6th at Grand Prix de Montréal. Besides hefty 450 UCI points added to his team's account, it was a clear statement from Pidcock that he's ready for the race scheduled for September 27.
"I was up there, I was racing. It was definitely worth coming [to Canada]," Pidcock told Cycling Weekly after the Montréal Grand Prix.
"You don't need to be the strongest to win"
The absence of Pogacar, who is recovering from the fallback of his Vuelta crash, undeniably changes the dynamics at World Championships, as well as European Championships and Il Lombardia further down the road.
Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel at the 2026 Liêge-Bastogne-Liège
Previously, Pogacar's raw power was enough to win on the circuit in Canada twice (2022, 2024) regardless of any tactics. But Pidcock believes that the Slovenian is the only cyclist in the world who could pull off something of that sort. Not even Remco Evenepoel who settled for 5th place in Montréal.
And if it comes to tactical games, the cunning Pidcock can hope to play his card as well. Just like we have seen him do times and times again in the mountain bike races.
"Probably, but I don’t think it’s the biggest chance in the world," he analyzed his own odds. "We’ll see: you don’t need to be the strongest to win the Worlds. Well, in the past [you did], maybe now it’s different."
The attention is now on Remco Evenepoel, Sunday winner Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas, or Mathieu van der Poel. Pidcock is still able to fly a bit under the radar, but he can best the bigger pre-race favourites? "Tadej is the hardest rider to beat and he’s not here. Then the next best rider is less hard to beat," Pidcock said earlier in the week.
"Del Toro and Seixas are the favourites"
Back to the test race on Sunday, Pidcock tried his own luck as well, but eventually it were the two youngsters Del Toro and Seixas who outwitted everyone else and fought each other for the title. For Pidcock, it was a good recon though. Now he knows what he'd have done differently, and also whom to keep an eye on.
"I attacked quite early a few times, probably earlier than other guys," Pidcock said. "You really need legs the last two laps on this course. But it didn’t make much difference: Seixas and Del Toro showed they were the strongest. I think they’re the favourites for the Worlds."
Read also
What is already quite clear to Pidcock is that the race won't be won "by accident" without having the corresponding level. Both physically and mentally. "It is going to be incredibly attritional," he added.
The race could unveil quite differently as compared to the WorldTour race. Partly due to the presence of National teams rather than the usual trade teams. "It could be a bit of a group behind, especially if the race is longer [273 kilometres in distance] – people won’t be able to make the difference with being explosive," Pidcock concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- We will see.
Brucegel14-09-2026 - You could have written this without spiteful tone, but I guess you're confident you'll get upvotes.Hills3314-09-2026
- If he had a repeat concussion he would probably have to retire in a much worse state. (And his fiancee has just had a repeat of her bad fall of a few months ago, showing a repeat is not unlikely.) Maybe best if he retired now, rather than taking his chances.Hills3314-09-2026
- Not many folks can put Pogi under pressure. But when it does happen i agree there is a bit of a pattern of risk-taking and crashes. For example he got lucky with his Strade Bianche crash - that could have cost him the race or more.mobk14-09-2026
- I don’t think the problem is maths so much as proofreading, he may have wanted to say Tour & Vuelta, would seem a little more logical though, in a text not actually based on logic I gyess there’s no point in supposing anything.Mistermaumau14-09-2026
- Oh really, he told you so I guess? The only reason he didn’t crash before is because Mas warned him to slow down and even then he couldn’t resist trying it on, or does it hurt his sensitive ego a little more than he likes to show to be overtaken? Even at a ripe cycling age, he still hasn’t learnt to take note of dangers. Had it not been a countryman warning him not to compete downhill in MSR there’d be a a good possibility his career would have been shortened. He’s the LAST person that needs to take senseless risks and yet, almost every time someone is pressuring him he starts to, his own worst enemy.Mistermaumau14-09-2026
- Yup dude! It is going to be hard for you, but you are going to have to come to terms with this. Pog did not win.this race. Pog did not even finish this race.. Shoulda, coulda, woulda won gets you zero UCI points even if you are by far the best rider.mobk14-09-2026
- My sources tell me that it is useful to be aware of the race situation rather than just waiting for chasers to catch up. Just saying. Perhaps Pog was getting a bit complacent and assuming no one would catch up.mobk14-09-2026
- Sounds similar to what I suggested, watch the race pretending he’s not there. Was he in Glasgow?Mistermaumau14-09-2026
- Sorry to ask the obvious(?) but as nobody explained or did before, why didn’t you try something earlier on?Mistermaumau14-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment