"What is he like on the 18th day, on a mountain, after riding GC for 17 days?" - Tom Pidcock urged to 'ride GC all the way to Rome' by Geraint Thomas & Luke Rowe
Cycling
Tom Pidcock has been quietly going about his business over the course of the first 10 stages of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Having come close to the stage win a couple of times, Pidcock sits 16th in the GC, 3:41 down after 10 days of racing.
Analysing the performance of their former teammate, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe assessed Pidcock's Giro d'Italia so far on the latest episode of the Watts Occurring podcast. "It was obviously a big goal for him, going for the stage and for the GC," Rowe begins, reflecting on the chaos of the 'mini Strade Bianche' stage 9 that Pidcock was among the pre-stage favourites, before being struck by bad luck.
"He crashes, loses a bit of time and is currently 16th in the GC. What does he do now?" Rowe asked his fellow Welshman and former Giro d'Italia runner-up Thomas.
"GC wise, just battling every day, trying to come back - it's a tough ask isn't it," Thomas admits, casting doubt on the prospect of Pidcock getting back into contention at the top of the standings.
"There's obviously a lot of talk about Tom wanting to ride GC. Now he's got his own team, you know, where he can do what he wants. I think he should just ride GC all the way to Rome. To the death," Rowe counters. "Because he's never done it. What is he like on the 18th day, on a mountain, after riding GC for 17 days? We don't know."
Riding for the general classification and riding to win stages can also go hand in hand as Thomas explains. "And by doing that, I think he can still win a stage," adds the former Tour de France winner in conclusion. "Just keep plugging on isn't it, just see how deep you can go."
Are Tom Pidcock's GC dreams still alive? pic.twitter.com/GLvPZqccEv
— Watts Occurring (@Watts_Occurring) May 21, 2025
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments