Tom Pidcock's passion for the sport has been rekindled in 2025: "I’ve started enjoying cycling and started to watching it again"

Tom Pidcock is a rather unusual character in cycling, an incredibly talented rider but one who likes to do things in his own way and carry his responsibilities. After moving to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, he has found this sole leadership and rhythm into preparing himself which has led to his return to the absolute top level. He hopes to make good use of it at the Giro d'Italia.

“The main reason I’ve come here is to get stuck in every day, to enjoy racing the Giro and opportunities will come if I do that. I’ve got shape coming out of the Ardennes Classics and I’m looking forward to taking that into the race," Pidcock said in the race's press conference, next to the race's main headliners.

He will not be chasing the overall classification, but instead fighting for stage wins - and he can do so in multiple terrains. “I want to race hard every day, race to my strengths and not be afraid. I think the third week is certainly going to come to everybody and it’s going to be difficult but I think it’s going to be raced hard from the start.

“The only unknown thing is probably the longer climbs. Apart from that I think I can be quite competitive every day," he adds, although he has made it clear that stage wins are priority number 1. This could potentially change later in the race however as in the past he has looked to test himself at the Tour de France.

After a spring with podiums at Strade Bianche and Flèche Wallonne and other strong results, the Briton thinks he has been in his best ever form. “I think so. Milano-Sanremo was definitely a missed opportunity I think, then I was sick, the Ardennes weren’t perfect, they didn’t go how I wanted them to go, and I wasn’t in the shape as I was in Strade, but I think I’ve certainly showed myself what I can do.

“I think Strade definitely was a big performance as it showed I’ve gotten closer. Tadej is on another level – the only guy beating him is Mathieu [van der Poel] on his terrain – so I think Strade was definitely a confidence boost". With a 'mini Strade Bianche' stage at the end of the first week, he can certainly aim for the win there and potentially even try to grab the pink jersey.

“I don’t really see what people think, and I’ve said it before that I don’t really do social media anymore, but I have seen a big increase in people supporting me compared to last year. I think they resonate with what happened and I think people have got behind me a little bit more," he said regarding his move away from INEOS Grenadiers which was widely discussed.

However with the Swiss team he feels perfectly good with the environment: "I like being responsible for everything, for my own destiny, if you like. It’s a big responsibility which helps me to get the most out of myself.”

And this change has not only gotten him back to his best level, but also sparked his passion back to the sport: “It wasn’t only the Tour de France. But now I’ve started enjoying cycling and started to watching it again. Although now it’s too expensive to watch so I don’t want it anymore," he joked.