Tour de France win "something I dream of", Tom Pidcock admits

Tom Pidcock is only 23 years of age but is one of the most talented riders in road, mountain bike and cyclocross. Although this versatility makes him an almost unique talent, it also brings it's own set of challenges, which he talks about in detail.

In an interview with Rouleur, Pidcock admitted that for 2023 “the biggest thing in my head is the mountain bike Worlds. I want to go prove what I can do." He is the current Olympic XCO champion, and also current cyclocross World Champion. "No one knows I was ill this year and people think that I just lost the race which irritates me a little bit. I prepared so well but then I was sick and then I had a puncture and then also the gridding didn't help, it just wasn't going to happen.”

However, not all was bad in his road season. His victory at the Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France was a career highlight. “Of course there was some success. But at the same time, there was a lot of misfortune with illness and things like that. I feel like there was much more in it, potentially. Winning at the Tour, it was a massive result," he continues.

"But the next day there is another stage. There's already the next thing, whereas a one-day race, like the Olympics or World Championships, that's the one day of the year. It kind of resonates longer than the Tour. The next day you line up on the front row and then, that's it, the caravan's moved on.”

His qualities see him as a more favourable rider towards the classics, however the Grand Tours are also on his sights. “It's something I dream of, like I'm sure many people do, but of course, I have to be realistic,” he said of the Tour de France. “Next year, I'm not going to win the Tour de France. But in three years, maybe I could. I think Pogačar makes it look easy, almost. I don't think it is so easy. I think, physically, for me, I could be close next year, maybe if I went all in, but I don't think I'd be able to win. I need more age, experience, strength and everything. I have to say that I need to wait to be selected first, but I should be at the Tour next year.”

His debut saw him finish in 15th place with a stage win however, providing great motivation towards a possible future focus in the Grand Tours - in his under-23 years, Pidcock has dominated the U23 Giro d'Italia. However that still lies in the future. In 2023 the Briton is looking to keep making good use of his versatility and continue to chase results in other disciplines.

He's set to make his debut on the 19th of November in cyclocross, at the Superprestige Merksplas. “Now I'm looking forward to it, wearing the rainbow jersey. My first cross race of the year is always a race I'm never going to win though. Of course, I'm ambitious but I'm not unrealistic.”

“I'm able to sprint even though I'm less than 60 kilos. Is that because I do cross? And if I stopped doing it, would I then lose that? Sometimes it's difficult, when my teammates are on holiday and things and I'm in Belgium, training in the rain. But then again, it's what has made me the rider I am, so I can't forget that," Pidcock admits.

“I have abnormal amounts of media attention compared to other people. I don't know why. The team manages all of my interviews and stuff. When they don't manage it like before mountain bike Worlds, there is just too much stuff going on. It was a bit chaotic, it's one thing that was too much during that week," the INEOS Grenadiers rider continues.

“It’s like with the Red Bull helmet, it's a stamp of approval that you're good enough to wear a Red Bull helmet. If you have media attention, it shows that you're a good rider. In your bad times, you know it's going bad because the media forget about you. The good times, it's all about you and it picks you up, but it can also put you down.”