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Tom Pidcock has been in sparkling form since his move to Q36.5 Pro Cycling over the winter, consistently in the running for big results since he got his season underway.
Victorious on two stages plus the overall in the AlUla Tour as well as on stage two of the Vuelta a Andalucia, he has however experienced frustration this month.
He had to be satisfied with second in Strade Bianche, albeit to world champion Tadej Pogačar, and was also second on stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico.
Those runner-up slots sharpened his ambition prior to Saturday’s “queen stage” of Tirreno but, once again, he had to accept second place.
He was gapped by stage winner and new overall leader Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) with just over 3km to go, but suggested afterwards he could and should have stuck with the Spaniard.
“It is hard to pace yourself on climbs like this, to not go in the red,” he told Cycling Pro Net after the stage. “But I actually think my red zone was a bit higher than I thought.”
He and third-placed finisher Jai Hindley faced several surges by Ayuso on the final climb. Pidcock suggested the acceleration which created the winning gap was perhaps more down to error rather than a clear difference in strength.
“I was responding to those attacks. I just let the wheel go a little bit into this corner because I thought ‘ah, we go around the corner,’” he explained.
“But he kept on the pedals, a little gap. I should have closed that gap.”
However Pidcock appeared to acknowledge Ayuso’s higher level in a media statement released by his team.
“Ayuso was the strongest but I think I could have stayed with him to fight for the win on another day.”
Best season start to date
The Briton’s strong early 2025 is one of the big storylines of this year. He appeared a shadow of himself at times last season, even if he did win the Amstel Gold Race plus the Olympic MTB title.
Other performances were more subdued, with at least part of the reason for that being dissatisfaction and tensions with his-then Ineos Grenadiers squad. This grew to such an extent that the British team deselected him for Il Lombardia at the end of the season.
That was the final straw and a deal to exit the British setup in favor of Q36.5 Procycling was agreed in early December.
Since then Pidcock has appeared far happier and also back to a consistently high level.
However he wanted more from this race. He was foiled by Decathlon’s Andrea Vendrame on Wednesday and then by Ayuso on Saturday.
“I am a bit frustrated with myself, which is the worst feeling to come away from a race with, actually,” he said, with regret.
“My ceiling is higher and I just don’t know my level. I’m frustrated with myself and especially after how well the guys rode for me today.”
He applauded their efforts.
“A big credit to the guys, they worked super hard today even before the cameras were on.
“They committed 100 percent to me so I am a bit disappointed I couldn’t finish it off for them.”
A very big carrot to chase
Pidcock is highly ambitious and will likely mull over Saturday’s result for some time. “You live and learn,” he noted.
However he can take consolation from his GC performance. He started the race just two days after Strade Bianche and the resulting fatigue was very likely a factor in is 49th place in the opening time trial.
He’s made steady progress since then, though, and went from 15th overall Saturday morning to sixth that afternoon.
Sunday’s final stage does include a big climb but that comes before the halfway point, making a big group sprint the most likely outcome.
Still, with both himself and teammate David de la Cruz inside the top eight overall, the team’s performances send an important signal to race organizers RCS Sport.
Why does that matter?
Because the same company also runs the Giro d’Italia. Q36.5 Pro Cycling has its sights fixed on a wildcard for the race and, based on how Pidcock has been riding, it should be a big contender for one of the available places.
According to Sporza.be Saturday, race organizer Mauro Vegni is holding off on making a decision in the hope that an upcoming meeting by the Professional Cycling Council will see the number of allowed wildcards increase from three to four.
Pidcock and his squad will keep pushing hard anyway, knowing that nothing is guaranteed. The best way to ensure its presence in the Italian grand tour is to continue performing at a high level.
Next up for the Briton is Milan-San Remo, a race where he has ridden aggressively in the past. He put in a promising final kilometer attack last year, only to be hauled back by the then-world champion Matthieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Will he be prominent again?
Given his current form, almost certainly.
Could that secure a Giro wildcard slot?
It’s very possible.
There’s a momentum there, and only appears to be building.
