Tom Pidcock not ready for compliments just yet: “I can’t help it”

That Pidcock is flying was already clear after his victory at Milano-Torino earlier this week, while he had also opened his 2026 road season with a win at the Ruta del Sol. He had targeted Milan-Sanremo, and that showed throughout the day, with Pinarello-Q36.5 constantly present near the front of the peloton. When Pidcock avoided the crash that disrupted part of the finale, his chances only improved.

On the Cipressa, a recovered Pogačar surged clear and only Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel could go with him. Then, when Van der Poel cracked on the Poggio, Pidcock still managed to hold the wheel. Pogačar could not shake him, so the race came down to a two-up sprint. Pidcock launched from the Slovenian’s slipstream, drew level, but saw his front wheel cross the line just centimetres behind.

“To be honest, I need a bit of time to reflect,” said an honest Pidcock in the mixed zone afterwards, in comments carried by Eurosport. “Right now I’m very disappointed, because it hurts when you come so close. If Tadej had gone solo and I’d finished second on my own, I’d probably be sitting here happy. But this was four centimetres, and that hurts a lot.”

Even while trying to put the result into perspective, Pidcock admitted he was not there yet emotionally. “Of course I’m losing here to Tadej, the best bike rider ever. I probably shouldn’t be disappointed, but I can’t help it. I’ll need to look at it in the bigger picture, because for now I’m mainly disappointed. I was so close to a Monument, but what I did was incredible, and I’m proud of that.”

“I felt amazing,” Pidcock said, and he needed to, because Pogačar turned the finale into a brutal test despite his earlier crash. “Last year I was really disappointed because I knew I could have been there at the front, and it wasn’t even because of a crash that I missed out. So it’s nice that I was able to prove this year that I do have the legs for it.”

“On the Poggio, Tadej was closer to dropping me there, but the way he rode it — with those 30-second surges and then easing slightly — actually suited me. It meant I could recover a little. I just had to stay in the wheel, like when you’re riding behind a motorbike.” He then joked: “Tadej already told me he won’t be coming back now that he’s won Sanremo, so which motorbike am I supposed to use next?”

“We were really flying, and if you’re the only guy left with Tadej in a Monument, then it has been a good performance. I’ll look at the numbers later, but it was probably one of my best days on the bike. Ask me again in a few days in Catalonia how I feel, and then I’ll have had time to reflect.”