Pidcock sharpens INEOS with strong statements: "I decide how my Tour will look, no one else"

Pidcock was determined last winter for the Tour, alongside Carlos Rodriguez. The same duo as in 2023 when Rodriguez finished fifth in the general classification, and Pidcock missed out on a solid top ten due to one bad day. As the Tour approaches, it's clear that Geraint Thomas and Laurens De Plus are already being utilized as luxury domestics in the mountains, but Egan Bernal has also openly applied for a role as a GC contender in the biggest race of the year.

What will Pidcock's role be in all of this? Will he indeed get the chance to further establish himself as a GC contender? He was certainly outspoken in an interview with the PA News Agency. "I decide how my Tour will look this year, no one else. Otherwise, you won't get anything from me; I need the space to believe in my Tour mission. I know exactly what I want and what it takes to achieve it. It's not always easy, but the people in my corner know how I work."

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People shouldn't be surprised that Pidcock is competing in a world cup mountain bike race six days before the Tour starts in Florence. He sets off for the Tour de France with extreme ambition. Perhaps that's why he's coming out so strongly now. "I'm not used to taking the lead; I don't like always being at the front. I prefer leading from behind, a bit more calmly, focusing on my own thing. I'm not someone who's going to give a big speech and rally everyone; they either believe in me or not."

However, Pidcock is open to criticism. Just because he's the reigning world and Olympic champion in mountain biking doesn't mean he belongs among the very best on the road. His stage win in the Tour of Alpe d'Huez (2022) and victories in Strade Bianche (2023) and the Amstel Gold Race (2024) were impressive, but the now 24-year-old all-rounder understands that people expect more. "I get that; I haven't achieved those big wins on the road yet. But if I win a Monument or become world champion on the road or podium in the Tour before the end of my career, then with cyclocross and mountain biking included, I'll have had a career like no one else."