"I don’t want to suffer here" - Tom Pidcock's 'vacation' in South Africa takes a break as he pushes to win Gravel Burn stage
Mountain Bike
Tom Pidcock is unlikely to do cyclocross during the winter and after a long and very successful season on the road, the Briton is not yet on full holiday mode into the winter. He is currently in South Africa but is racing the week-long Nedbank Gravel Burn, mostly on easy mode, but on stage 5 he took the stage seriously and went on to take the victory.
Most certainly, the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team rider is looking to start his 2026 season a little later than this year, and with no team change or any meaningful move on his agenda, he can take it easy and have a clear mind on what will follow in the next few months. Last year by this time he was still an INEOS Grenadiers rider, and only in December did he make the move to the Swiss team - which has, this winter, reinforced itself with plenty new World Tour riders.
After ending his season with a double-header weekend where he rode to Top10 results at both Il Lombardia, and then quite far away at the Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands, Pidcock has taken it easy. However not fully. Some of the best Mountain Bikers in the world are in South Africa this week racing the seven-day long Nedbank Gravel Burn race, and Pidcock is amongst them. But he has taken it easy on multiple days, not looking to build fatigue or chase a result, but instead have fun and enjoy the southern hemisphere summer.
In a race headlined by riders such as Matthew Beers, Andri Frischknecht and well known road pros such as Simon Pellaud, Peter Stetina and Lawrence Naesen, Pidcock decided to test his legs on stage 5. Finishing atop the Swaershoek Pass after 137 kilometers, an easier stage with a difficult finish, it looked like a fitting day The result: A victory.
“It looked to me to be the easiest stage, with only one climb to do. That’s why I thought I would have a go," Pidcock said in a post-race interview. May it may be a one-off! "Everyone has been saying to me, ‘you should try to win a stage’, but the riding is tough. I have been suffering all year. I don’t want to suffer here," he joked.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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