Don’t underestimate Tom Pidcock’s impact on a soaring Q36.5, says Bax in a conversation about the team leader and comparison to UAE

The crash happened a year and a half ago, yet Sjoerd Bax was still dealing with the effects of his broken hip from the 2023 Il Lombardia this past winter. The brutal fall cast a shadow over his final season at UAE Team Emirates in 2024, and now, after signing with Q36.5 Pro Cycling, Bax finds himself once again sidelined from his favorite spring races. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the 29-year-old Dutchman about his setbacks in recovery, his transfer, and what it’s like to ride for and alongside team leader Tom Pidcock.

We caught up with Bax a year ago during a UAE training camp about the October 2023 crash, at a time when he was just two months into recovery. He called it a “clean break” in his hip, but vividly described the process: "During surgery, they cut through some muscles to access the area, then hammer a pin into the bone. After that, the bone should be healed, but the rest of your body takes a hit too. Everything around the bone has to regain strength as well."  

By April 2024, Bax was back racing sooner than anticipated, though that was more for show. Despite this, he still managed to finish third in the Dutch National Time Trial Championships in June. However, opportunities at UAE Team Emirates dried up later in the season, prompting Bax to seek a new team. He left without resentment but admitted: "In smaller races, I sometimes felt I was stronger than my teammates. I could have stayed, sure, but from both a sports and financial perspective, moving to another team was just the better option."  

Read more below the photo.

Bax in the UAE Team Emirates jersey, where he raced for two years

Sjoerd Bax had to go under the knife again

I was told that you are currently still recovering from that crash in Lombardy 2023. Is that really true?

"Yeah, because towards the end of last season, my hip started acting up again. I had been pain-free, but I started feeling discomfort from the metal pin in my hip. That’s why they removed it in early December, and that’s actually quite a big operation. They have to cut it open again, leaving the bone hollow for a while. It takes some time to heal. I had to walk on crutches for four weeks, so I only started riding carefully again in early January—just about ten hours a week at first. So I’m still building back up."

But at least now you can go through airport customs again without the scanner going off?

"Haha, yeah, exactly."

Jokes aside, was it expected that you’d have issues with it again, or would they have preferred to leave the pin in?

"That was the original plan, but in the last month of the season, it started bothering me again. We thought an injection might help, but in the end, we decided to just take it out. It definitely doesn't hurt to remove it."

Did you have to rebuild from scratch again, or did you retain some fitness from your rehab and race kilometers in 2024?

"Well, first I had a four-week offseason, followed by another four weeks of gradual training to see if the injection would help. Then came the surgery, so I really wasn’t able to train much for a while. Essentially, I was starting from zero again, although this recovery went much faster than when they initially put the pin in. The bone remained intact, so that helped. I’ve already raced my first event, though my level isn’t quite there yet, and I still feel some discomfort. But things are improving."

What exactly are you still struggling with? I noticed two DNFs in Ardèche...

"The first one was planned, and honestly, I probably could have finished the second race. I was in the breakaway, but once we got caught, I thought I was nearly the last rider in the race. Turns out, I wasn’t at all—haha! I ran into Romain Bardet, who was heading to the team bus, so I just went with him. Sometimes that happens, and it wouldn’t have made much difference to the team whether I finished in 60th place or not."

106 kilometers in the breakaway on day two—that must have felt good?

"Yeah, definitely. If we had been caught just a little later, I might have been able to contest for third place in that chasing group. Not that I would’ve been in the mix for the win, but it was a good opportunity and solid training. It wasn’t a bad ride at all."

Did this setback hit you harder because of your ambitions with this new team? You really wanted to make an impact here.

"Absolutely. With this surgery, they didn’t just remove a small plate like with a collarbone fracture—I had to walk on crutches for four weeks while everyone else was already training hard in December. That was tough. Sitting at home, unable to do anything, was mentally challenging. But you don’t have a choice. You just do your rehab exercises three times a day to recover as quickly as possible. It’s just part of the sport..."

What does your race program look like now, with the big Flemish Classics just a month away?

"I’ll be racing some smaller events in the coming period, and I hope to be back in top form by the Ardennes Classics, where I’ll be working in support of Tom. He’s, of course, our big leader there. But if Eschborn-Frankfurt comes afterward, I’d like to race for myself there."

And a grand tour?

"If the team gets a spot in the Giro d’Italia, but I’m not currently on the roster. But you never know—if a couple of guys get injured, I might get a call-up. I’m not on the list right now because I’m coming back from injury. If I recover well and prove my worth in the big races, then I hope to be considered. I’m usually strong in April and May. But it’s still uncertain whether we’ll get a wildcard for the Giro. If not, maybe there will be a spot for me in the Vuelta..."

Read more below the photo.

Sjoerd Bax in the colors of Q36.5 Pro Cycling

Bax pleasantly surprised by Q36.5 and Pidcock's impact

How are things going with the team? From the outside, it looks very polished and almost WorldTour level...

"Yeah, absolutely. I was actually quite surprised by how professional it is here—compared to UAE as well. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything; in fact, I might even have more here. I’ve got a better nutrition app, and I have a second time trial bike at home. For a rider like me, there are actually some advantages here."

Any major differences in training?

"Not really. At UAE, for example, I didn’t train a lot in the famous Zone 2 either—mainly because I’m a big, heavy guy. If you constantly train in Zone 2, you have to push a really high wattage, which can make you lose some explosiveness. I also think that all coaches look at each other’s methods and copy what works. UAE takes ideas from Visma and vice versa, and we look at other teams too."

What did you think about Tom Pidcock joining the team?

"I think it was only a good thing because otherwise, as a team, we might have hit a dead end. This squad has been around for about three years, but there wasn’t much real progress. Now that Tom has joined, there’s been a big step forward. He brought in staff members, and we now have a clear team objective. That gives us more certainty about getting invited to big races. It’s really only been positive."

Pidcock is hijacking some of the races you would have liked to do yourself, isn't he?

"Well, we’re talking about the biggest races here. I know I’m not the biggest talent out there, so I’m not going to win Liège or Amstel. In those kinds of WorldTour races, I’m happy to work for him at the front."

There was quite a bit of criticism when he left INEOS Grenadiers—some called him arrogant and self-centered. He even said he was portrayed as a 'bad boy.' Can you tell us who Tom Pidcock really is?

"I haven’t spoken to him that much yet, apart from a long lunch at our hotel in January. But during that hour, he was genuinely interested in me, asking personal questions. He didn’t come across as arrogant or like he thinks he’s better than everyone else. On the contrary, he’s trying to build a team—a group of guys around him that he can rely on. From the first races, you could already see that there’s a great atmosphere and that things are clicking well."

Will you be part of that Pidcock group?

"I haven’t raced with him yet, but that will probably happen once I’m back at full strength. When that time comes, I’ll be a reliable teammate."

Q36.5 has had a fantastic start in 2025 with Pidcock. Watching from the sidelines, do you already feel that energy and ambition within the team?

"It might sound a bit arrogant, but coming from UAE, I was already used to that winning mentality. I’m used to an atmosphere where there’s a lot of success, where people are laughing and racing for victories. That hasn’t changed—my first race with the team was in Murcia, where Fabio Christen won. So in that sense, I’m just continuing to build on the team’s success. The guys who have been here longer have probably experienced tougher times when wins were scarce, but I haven’t really had that experience myself."

You would have had more of a culture shock if your team hadn’t won a race until April…

"Exactly, haha!"

You’re not racing yourself, but is Q36.5 aiming for victory with Pidcock in Strade Bianche on Saturday?

"If Tadej Pogacar is on the start line, winning will be tough. But Tom is in really great shape, and I secretly hope he can keep up. Still, I think Tadej is on another level."

Will you be watching the race, grinding your teeth in frustration?

"I don’t have a race myself, so I definitely would have liked to be there. It’s a shame, although the Strade Bianche course has been too hard for me since last year. Maybe it’s actually a good thing that I’m not there, haha."

Check out our preview of the extra final loop in Strade Bianche below:

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