Tom 'Pidders' Pidcock

[Hugo Koblet]

What a disappointing season. He was nowhere close to as good as I - and most other probably - thought he would be. He seems to lack endurance, recovery and consistency, and he's honestly not that good on cobbles. I wonder what he's planning on targeting next season?

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Winning the CX World Championship, Euro MTB Championship, the L'Alpe D'Huez stage of the Tour would normally be seen as pretty impressive.
Blimey, you're a tough bunch here....

 

[SafeBet]

His spring was disappointing. Health issues probably held him back because he never reached the level he showed last year. I do agree cobbles are not his forte, but he's so talented that he will likely score some big results in cobble races too.

Tour was a success in my opinion. Winning on Alpe d'Huez can define a career and he was good enough for a couple of weeks before fading in the last one. How much will he focus on stage racing in the future? Winning GTs sure requires more dedication and specific training. I don't think you can do that while still racing bot CX and MTB.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm very surprised people even talk about Pidcock as a potential GT winner.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Winning the CX World Championship, Euro MTB Championship, the L'Alpe D'Huez stage of the Tour would normally be seen as pretty impressive.
Blimey, you're a tough bunch here....

thing is many people wrongly 'categorized' him in the same box as WvA and MvdP. But in fact all 3 riders couldn't be more different.
Pidcock is a natural climber and much more of a GC rider in the future, and also for the hard hilly classics. He's nowhere near good enough on cobbles. He's too light. His Tour was actually very good. And his climbing skills show even more in the MTB scene.

Van der Poel is just a raw powerhouse on short intensive efforts, where RVV is almost the perfect race for him. And Van Aert is another cookie who just has endless watts/stamina topped of with good sprint and positioning skills which makes him a super allrounder that can win on almost any terrain.

But if you compare Pidcock to those two and expect the same classics results yeah than it looks weird. Also Pidcock had some health issues this year which makes his spring look worse than it could've been. I think the Tour showed what he is capable of and I think in the future he'll show more in stage races and pure climbing stages.

 

[tobydawq]

I'm very surprised people even talk about Pidcock as a potential GT winner.

Considering how people have also been talking about Cancellara, Sagan and Van der Poel as potential GT winners, I'm surprised at your surprise.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I'm very surprised people even talk about Pidcock as a potential GT winner.

Agree. Also, lets take a look at Ineos' squad for the upcoming season in terms of stage racing. This is just off the top of my head: Egan, G, Arensman, C-Rod, Sivakov, Hart, Felipe Martinez.. and then you have riders like Plapp, Pidcock and Ethan Hayter who we don't really know what to make off yet.

Lets see him do a good stage race first. Seems more like a one-day racer to me for sure

 

[Red Rick]

Agree. Also, lets take a look at Ineos' squad for the upcoming season in terms of stage racing. This is just off the top of my head: Egan, G, Arensman, C-Rod, Sivakov, Hart, Felipe Martinez.. and then you have riders like Plapp, Pidcock and Ethan Hayter who we don't really know what to make off yet.

Lets see him do a good stage race first. Seems more like a one-day racer to me for sure

Pidcock should basically just walk into the Kwiatkowski role, but get more chances to stagehunt because Ineos aren't strangling the Tour anymore and because he's British.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Pidcock should basically just walk into the Kwiatkowski role, but get more chances to stagehunt because Ineos aren't strangling the Tour anymore and because he's British.

Hopefully. If youre not the favorite, it would be downright stupid to give up free stage wins in Tour de France because you want your whole team around the 3rd best rider. Literally doesn't make a diff, apart from commentators and pundits being able to say "X team really rode like a team this Tour for X rider, very impressive teamwork". Congrats, youre 3rd with no stage win, when you have all the talent in the world on your roster.

Anyways, since I don't know where to put this, is the forum also kinda bugging for you guys? The scrolling is kinda ***

 

[Red Rick]

Anyways, since I don't know where to put this, is the forum also kinda bugging for you guys? The scrolling is kinda ***

Nothing bugging on my end.

 

[stonerider]

I agree Pidcock didn't seem to improve on the road this year and he doesn't seem to be 3 week GT winner. Maybe Ineos can get his nutrition and stomach issues dialed in so he has the stamina, endurance and recovery to improve in the future. He has no problems with 60 minute CX and 90 minute XC races.

 

[Bolder]

I'm very surprised people even talk about Pidcock as a potential GT winner.

Why? I think at this point in his career almost all avenues are open to him.

But I think he would have to commit to going for GC the way it looked like Remco did this year. It’s probably not going to happen anytime soon though , especially if he’s defending his Olympic title

Even now, I think he’s capable of a top 5. He’s very similar to Alaphilippe in terms of physique and strengths, but possibly even a better climber.
This year is hopefully just a blip in terms of health issues…

 

[SafeBet]

Considering how people have also been talking about Cancellara, Sagan and Van der Poel as potential GT winners, I'm surprised at your surprise.

None of them won the Giro Baby.
And none of them finished top20 in their first Tour (or any other Tour).
He hasn't focused on stage racing since turning pro (and might never focus on it for what I know) but why competely negating his GC potential? I don't get it.

 

[tobydawq]

None of them won the Giro Baby.
And none of them finished top20 in their first Tour (or any other Tour).
He hasn't focused on stage racing since turning pro (and might never focus on it for what I know) but why competely negating his GC potential? I don't get it.

I certainly think he has a better chance than the three I mentioned and don't really see why it would be off the table, either.

 

[postmanhat]

Looks like Pidcock is thinking about the TDF next season and maybe a first attempt at GC in a WT stage race. Initially surprised by this as I assumed he'd target the Giro, as originally planned for this year, until he had stomach issues and Covid. Also, didn't think he'd be doing any serious GT racing till after the next Olympics.

But had forgotten how early the combined World Champs were this year, so maybe doing the TDF makes more sense?

 

[stonerider]

Hopefully he'll get his knee issue sorted this off-season. He's been doing rehab, riding, lifting and running to get all the muscle imbalances sorted out.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

starts his cx season at the Aardbeiencross in Merksplas on the 17th Nov, followed the next day at the Overijse Druivencross. I wouldn't expect him to win just yet, maybe Overijse if things fall nicely. Het Nieuwsblad says he intends to race 'quite a few races this season' I imagine that just got lost in translation and will be in the usual 10-15 races, probably not the worlds.

 

[stonerider]

starts his cx season at the Aardbeiencross in Merksplas on the 17th Nov, followed the next day at the Overijse Druivencross. I wouldn't expect him to win just yet, maybe Overijse if things fall nicely. Het Nieuwsblad says he intends to race 'quite a few races this season' I imagine that just got lost in translation and will be in the usual 10-15 races, probably not the worlds.

I'll be happy to see him join the CX fray. I suspect Wout and MvdP may show up in December...I sure hope so.

CX, if done properly, could be a nice complement to the winter base build. I'm thinking use the CX race as your once a week high intensity day, one skills training day per week, and the rest or your week do 3 to 5 hour base/endurance riding days.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I'm thinking use the CX race as your once a week high intensity day, one skills training day per week, and the rest or your week do 3 to 5 hour base/endurance riding days.

When you put it like that, it must be quite a feeling as an athlete to be that gifted to compete at the highest level in various cycling disciplines. Some folk on the forum tend to overlook that, particularly when undermining Pidcock. Lets hope he can overcome the ailments this coming season and reach a higher level. A level most of us fans hope he can attain.

 

[Extinction]

When you put it like that, it must be quite a feeling as an athlete to be that gifted to compete at the highest level in various cycling disciplines. Some folk on the forum tend to overlook that, particularly when undermining Pidcock. Lets hope he can overcome the ailments this coming season and reach a higher level. A level most of us fans hope he can attain.

I don't think it's so much undermining him, but putting him into perspective in this moment. But each rider developes at his rate and honestly, if he wants the Tour, he will at some point have to sacrifice his off-road ambitions and go all in for that goal. In this cycling, there is no other choice. Winning Alpe d'Huez from a non-GC break is one thing, but being in the GC battle is entirely another.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

When you put it like that, it must be quite a feeling as an athlete to be that gifted to compete at the highest level in various cycling disciplines. Some folk on the forum tend to overlook that, particularly when undermining Pidcock. Lets hope he can overcome the ailments this coming season and reach a higher level. A level most of us fans hope he can attain.

The problem is so many people here view cycling as just 'road'; they can't understand riders like the challenges of off-road racing. To be able to mix 3 disciplines, and have success in all 3 is rare. Which is why I find comparisons to Remco/ Tadej ridiculous........They are out & out road riders. He isn't......

 

[Bolder]

The problem is so many people here view cycling as just 'road'; they can't understand riders like the challenges of off-road racing. To be able to mix 3 disciplines, and have success in all 3 is rare. Which is why I find comparisons to Remco/ Tadej ridiculous........They are out & out road riders. He isn't......

True, to a point. But road remains the 800 pound gorilla in cycling, and that's why Ineos gave him a huge contract. If he doesn't produce on the road, he's of much less value to Ineos than if he didn't produce in CX and MTB.

In that light, I don't think it's unfair to compare him to those guys on the road, given his contract, age and skill set.

That said, I still think his road potential is nearly unlimited, or at least his ceiling is much higher than most riders'. Winning P-R or a GT might be a step too far, but if he were to focus on the road after 2024 (maybe run a few CX races but drop MTB entirely) and he stays healthy, those are both within his reach. But he'll have to focus more on MTB next year if he wants to defend his Olympic title. What we've seen with MvDP and PFP is that it's impossible to sustain a high level at all 3 at once for very long -- eventually something will break down.

 

[Sciatic]

The problem is so many people here view cycling as just 'road'; they can't understand riders like the challenges of off-road racing. To be able to mix 3 disciplines, and have success in all 3 is rare. Which is why I find comparisons to Remco/ Tadej ridiculous........They are out & out road riders. He isn't......

How is it a problem that some folks prefer to watch & follow one discipline more than another? If I want to see the very best competing at the highest level in road racing, I might prefer Pidcock, Van Aert, MVDP prioritizing riding Classics over everything else because it will make those races even better, and those are my favorites. I mean I’m glad to hear if riders say something akin to “this is my passion, so I’m going to focus on [fill in the blank . . . Cross, track, mtb, GTs, BMX, etc]. Good for them—I like when people do what meaningful for them. But purely as a spectator, I like seeing the best in the sports I enjoy enjoy watching the most.

it’s a crude comparison, but even if Michael Jordan had been great at baseball, I would have preferred to see him playing basketball because the NBA was a bit diminished without him.

 

[stonerider]

Tom starts his CX campaign on 11/19th and 11/20th.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Hopefully the knee is on the mend.... will be good to see him battling it out with his old foe Eli once more - no love lost there!