Could Tom Pidcock have beaten Mathieu van der Poel with a fully functioning bike at the Tour de France?
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 20:24
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Follow us on GoogleTom Pidcock showed his best form in Stage 9 of the Tour de France. The 26-year-old Brit from Pinarello-Q36.5 had endured a subdued opening week and had already slipped down the general classification, but he responded on Sunday with an outstanding ride. At the team bus afterwards, one question dominated the discussion: what might have happened if Pidcock had possessed a fully functioning bike against Mathieu van der Poel?
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Pidcock was the 16th and final rider to make it into the day’s decisive breakaway in Stage 9. The punchy all-rounder impressed by becoming the only rider able to bridge across from the peloton to an already powerful group that was racing at full speed. It was immediately clear that Pidcock was enjoying a strong day, something he also confirmed after the finish at the team bus.
“I was going really well today. I had good legs and felt strong. If I compare it with the last breakaway I made at the Tour de France, two years ago on the gravel around Troyes, I was genuinely in contention this time. My level is higher, so it is nice to be properly racing again. This gives me something positive to take into the rest day,” he said while warming down on the rollers.
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Tom Pidcock
Pidcock suffered shifting problems in Tour de France finale
Pidcock’s failure to win was, of course, partly down to the strength of Van der Poel. However, his Pinarello also began causing problems in the finale. “He couldn’t shift into the correct gear because one part of his shifter wasn’t working,” coach Kurt Bogaerts told IDL Pro Cycling. “I’ve just checked it, and it may well have cost him the victory.”
The Belgian quickly qualified that final remark. “You can never be certain of that when you are heading towards the finish with Mathieu van der Poel. But when you look at the way Tom raced today, he was clearly one of the strongest riders. Was he angry? Not necessarily angry, but there is obviously frustration. Days like this do not come around very often.”
The problem with the electronic groupset appeared on the final climb of the day, where Van der Poel reduced the breakaway to four riders. Pidcock was able to follow, but explained: “My shifter stopped working. When I was sitting at the back of the group on that final climb, I realised that my right shifter was still working manually.”
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Pidcock found another way to shift, but could not use it in the sprint
Bogaerts agreed that Pidcock reacted quickly when the issue developed. “He eventually worked his way through the different shifting options available on the handlebars, but he was completely grinding himself into the ground. In the end, he could change gear using the button on the top of the tube, but that is not ideal in a sprint. When you cannot quickly select the correct gear in a finale like that, you do not stand a chance.”
Pidcock acknowledged that he could no longer use his hand to select the right gear when it was time to sprint against Van der Poel. “Before the sprint, however, I was already riding in the drops, which meant I could no longer reach the shifter. That is disappointing, although Mathieu would have been difficult to beat anyway, so I did what I could. I am pleased that I found another way to change gear, because otherwise I might have ended up finishing back in the peloton.”
Why did the equipment fail? Bogaerts did not immediately have an answer. “Tom has just told me that the bike worked perfectly throughout the entire day, but it is still electronics, and electronics can malfunction. We are racing in hot conditions, with a lot of water and moisture around. We couldn’t change bikes either, because there was no opportunity to do so today.”
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Pidcock and his coach encouraged by improved Tour de France form
Third place gives Pidcock and Pinarello-Q36.5 something positive to build on. “I left Mathieu on the front during the final kilometre because he was the fastest rider in the group. He needed to launch early if the peloton was close behind us, but they were not close enough. That meant it became a short sprint, and I probably would not have won that kind of sprint anyway.”
“He lost eight minutes in Stage 6, but he is still riding for a position just outside the top ten. That says a lot about how high his level is,” Bogaerts said of Pidcock’s position in the Tour. “We are taking it day by day, and above all we want to improve as the race progresses. We did not start the Tour with the condition we had hoped to have at the beginning of the year. That is why we want to make progress every day and have the courage to race aggressively.”
That process will continue in Stage 10 following Tuesday’s first rest day. “There will be plenty of opportunities in the second week, and we have to try to take them one at a time.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
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