“There isn’t much more I could have done” - Tom Pidcock's electric World Championship performance goes unrewarded despite brave crash comeback
CyclingSunday, 27 September 2026 at 22:05
Tom Pidcock left Montreal without a World Championship medal despite producing one of the strongest rides of his season, fighting back from a crash and then spending much of the finale trying to drag the chase back to eventual winner Brandon McNulty.
The Briton had already been forced into a costly chase after hitting the deck as the race began to open up, but still managed to work his way back into contention on the Mont-Royal circuit. By the final lap he was among the riders doing most to reduce McNulty's advantage, helping bring a gap of more than a minute down towards ten seconds before the pursuit stalled again.
“Yeah, I mean, the crash definitely didn’t help,” Pidcock told Cycling Pro Net after eventually finishing sixth, 14 seconds behind McNulty. “There was a bit of a chase, but tactically it was very difficult in the end.
“I think I had really, really good legs, honestly, but to make the difference and get the gap with the wind the way it was, and with the USA team and Matteo there, it was super difficult.”
Pidcock fights back into the race
By the time McNulty launched what became the winning move, Pidcock had already recovered from his earlier setback and worked his way back among the main contenders. He then became one of the most active riders in the chase, repeatedly trying to break up a group that was struggling to find any lasting cooperation.
His accelerations caused real damage. At one point both Isaac del Toro and Mathieu van der Poel were put under pressure, while later Pidcock combined with Giulio Ciccone to take large chunks out of McNulty's advantage on the final ascent of the Cote Camillien-Houde.
The tactical picture behind the American made the chase difficult from the outset. Matteo Jorgenson could follow moves without contributing to bringing his US teammate back, while Quinn Simmons had also been heavily involved earlier in the finale and remained another useful card for the United States.
“He was super strong once Brandon attacked,” Pidcock said of Jorgenson. “And obviously Isaac as well, in the same team. It was always going to be super difficult to make a difference there in the end after six hours.”
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“I did what I could”
McNulty's lead nevertheless came within reach on the final lap. Pidcock and Ciccone helped cut it to around ten seconds, with the American visible up the road, but once the climb was over the chase lost its rhythm and the gap began to open again.
That hesitation left Pidcock with little choice but to keep trying to force the race himself. He attacked again later in the lap, Mauro Schmid also tried to bridge across and Jorgenson continued to sit on the moves, but McNulty had managed to rebuild enough of an advantage to survive.
“There isn’t much more I could have done,” Pidcock admitted. “It was really difficult. No one wanted to work together in that group and whether to wait and gamble everything on the last lap or try something earlier, I think it was difficult. I don’t think I have any regrets. I did what I could.”
McNulty eventually crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Michael Matthews and Van der Poel, with Simmons fourth and Del Toro fifth. Pidcock followed one second later in sixth, having gone from chasing back after a crash to helping bring the rainbow jersey within sight in the closing kilometres.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- he backed del Toro to win over McNulty.whkman27-09-2026
- LOL! My thoughts exactly!frieders327-09-2026
- an amazing race from all angles even if McNulty didn't win. Healy closing the gap on his own, Remco coming back, jorgensen the ultimate teamate, Wout using himself up for remco, it was endlesswhkman27-09-2026
- first American to win since Lance...go ahead Lance hating fetishizers, weigh in on your hatred of Lance, this is your cuewhkman27-09-2026
- UAE still win with their domestiques with crazy solo even in WC and their pogacars domestiquges. Hahaha its impossible to beat that team. Wildmiguel27-09-2026
- how can you type and gargle Pogacar's balls at the same time?whkman27-09-2026
- Blah blah blah! Go back to kneeling at your Pogi shrine!frieders327-09-2026
- You really are clueless ! He's an American whether YOU like it or not!frieders327-09-2026
- Pogi can't win if he doesn't show up! Now back to your basement!frieders327-09-2026
- That was incredible. The whole race was such a classical version of a solo rider not being caught because no rider in the chase groups will use up their energy to have someone else win. And yet, Matthews gets silver?! Van der Poel got bronze?! I couldn’t look away for hours. That was a breathtaking race, SO much fun!RidesHills27-09-2026
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