No World Championship battle against van der Poel for Pidcock as he focuses on La Vuelta a España

“It's unfortunate because I would have liked to participate, especially to compete against Mathieu. However, I want to focus more on the road, and our team is still developing. So it makes sense for me to ride the Vuelta,” Pidcock explained in De Telegraaf. After transferring from INEOS Grenadiers to Q36.5, he already rode the Giro d'Italia this season. On August 23, he will depart from Turin for the Vuelta, his second participation in the Tour of Spain.

The decision to focus more on road races has undoubtedly paid off in 2025. Pidcock came to Q36.5 with five victories under his belt and doubled that number in just six months. Last Saturday, he won another stage in the Arctic Race of Norway;. Earlier this year, he won two stages and the overall classification in the AlUla Tour and took a stage win in the Ruta del Sol. He also finished second in Strade Bianche behind a dominant Tadej Pogacar and third in the Flèche Wallonne.

It's a great start to the big ambitions of Pidcock and Q36.5 on the road, because the British rider has already made his mark on the mountain bike. In 2021 and 2024, he became Olympic champion, in 2023, world champion, and this year, just like in 2022, he became European champion. The only prize still missing is the World Championship, but for that, Pidcock would have to give up his beloved MTB for an entire summer. And that no longer seems possible.

Because Pidcock also wants to prove himself on the road, just as van der Poel intends to do the opposite. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck has mastered cyclo-cross and road racing and dreams of winning medals on his mountain bike, preferably at the World Championships. “Mathieu may not be in his best period on the mountain bike, but when he sets his mind to something, you know he'll succeed in the end,” says Pidcock.

“Normally, he's one of the world's best, which makes me enjoy racing against him,” he continues. “Yes, I may have prizes that he would like to have, but Mathieu is way ahead of me in terms of major victories on the road. He has won nine Monuments and world titles in three different disciplines. In the field, on gravel, and the most beautiful: on the road. I would really like to win that last one.”

Pidcock describes himself and van der Poel as “playful,” although that has to be toned down a bit for races like the Vuelta a España if the new Q36.5 leader wants to compete for the GC. “My time trial still needs to improve a lot, but maybe I can go for a top ten. Being on the podium of a Grand Tour would be amazing, but winning a Grand Tour is the hardest thing there is for me. I know what it's like to win a one-day race, but a Grand Tour? Phew, that's a different ball game.”