Pidcock noticed Van der Poel thinking during the Tour de France: "I could just see from his body language that he felt the same as I did"

When looking at riders who have had a fantastic start to the season, one name cannot be ignored: Tom Pidcock. Riding for Q36.5 Pro Cycling, the British rider has already secured two stage wins and the overall title at the AlUla Tour, along with another victory in the Ruta del Sol. But what are his further ambitions? And how does he feel about the Tour de France, where he has experienced both highs and lows? Speaking with Rouleur, Pidcock shares his thoughts.

The 25-year-old Brit had an incredible Tour debut, winning an unforgettable stage on Alpe d'Huez. "My first year in the Tour was amazing. Of course, it was my first experience with it. I won a stage, Geraint Thomas was on the podium—it was incredible. But in the last two years, to be honest, I haven't really enjoyed it. It was tough. I didn’t win a stage, and as a team, we didn’t have as much success as we were used to."

"So, those were very difficult years, and I hope I can soon rediscover the feeling from my first Tour," Pidcock continues. "I just want to enjoy it, to feel like I’m really part of the race. I also think expectations have risen over the last two years, and yeah, for different reasons, I haven’t lived up to them. That’s not really enjoyable. You always try to reason with yourself, I guess."

"I think Van der Poel has the same feeling as me in the Tour"

According to many experts, one rider who experiences the Tour de France the same way as Pidcock is Mathieu van der Poel. And the British rider has noticed it too. "I remember a day when I was riding at the back of the peloton in the Tour, and Van der Poel was just ahead of me. I didn’t speak to him, I didn’t say anything, but I could just tell from his body language that he felt the same way I did, like: 'This is just boring, this is nonsense.' He wasn’t enjoying it, despite the fact that we were riding in the biggest race in the world, with thousands of people cheering."

"Every day, all eyes are on you, questions are being asked, and things just don’t go the way you want them to. Before a race, you’re asked how you expect to perform, and you have to give a positive answer. You can’t just say, 'I think it’s going to be bad.' And if it does go badly, you then have to answer questions about why it went wrong."

And for Van der Poel, it’s even more difficult. The Dutchman, who started last year’s Tour in the rainbow jersey, often doesn’t get many stages that suit his style. "For Mathieu, it’s actually even worse than it is for me. He’s the world champion, riding in the rainbow jersey, but in the last Tour, he was basically just another lead-out man."

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Pidcock, Van Aert and Van der Poel

Pidcock dreams of winning a Monument but acknowledges the challenge with rivals like Pogacar and Van der Poel

Winning a Monument—that is Pidcock’s ultimate dream. The British rider has already won Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold Race, but now he wants more. "My favorite races are the Classics and the Monuments. I’ve already won Classics, but not a Monument. That’s something I want to focus on this year and in the coming years, to one day add a Monument to my palmarès."

And which Monument is his biggest goal? Pidcock dreams of winning Paris-Roubaix, but he knows the competition is fierce. "I remember the Forest of Wallers, where Van der Poel attacked for the first time, and I was just going full gas in the middle of the road. I felt like a traffic cone with all those big guys flying past me—I was just in the way. The pure power on the flat is what I’m missing. I can’t deny the science: 60 kg versus 80 kg means I have less raw strength."

Does Pidcock think Pogacar can ever win Milan-Sanremo? He’s not so sure. "There’s nowhere for him to really make a difference, and this year he tried to make the race hard by increasing fatigue, but you can’t really do that—it’s just not hard enough. I think this is one of the toughest races for him to win because too many guys will still be with him at the finish."

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