“Bittersweet” was the word Tom Pidcock used to describe his emotions after Strade Bianche, where he went toe-to-toe with Tadej Pogačar, and ultimately finished second.
The 25-year-old vowed pre-race that he would do his best to rival the world champion, and delivered on his promise, attacking alongside him inside 80km to go.
After Pogačar crashed and rejoined the front of the race, Pidcock was then the last rider to hold his wheel, but couldn’t respond to an attack 20km from the line. The Brit, once a winner in Siena, went on to roll across the finish line one minute and 24 seconds down.
Asked to sum up his feelings afterwards, Pidcock said: “I’m quite tired, to be honest. Of course, I wanted to try and win. I think I did a good performance, let’s be honest. I came pretty close… I’m happy, but at the same time, I’m of course disappointed.”
Most of the attention in the build-up to the race focused on the world champion, but it was Pidcock who made the initial accelerations, and found himself leading solo after Pogačar’s crash.
The moment, Pidcock said, was “unfortunate” for his opponent, and after initially surging on, he chose to slow and wait.
“When he crashed, of course I carried on,” The Q36.5 rider said. “I didn’t know what was happening, but he was back on his bike, coming back, so of course I waited. He’s a competitor, he’s world champion, we respect that. You wait regardless of whether he’s world champion or not. He made a mistake, this is not how you take advantage in a race.
“Of course, it was still a long way to go, so obviously I didn’t want to ride that far on my own,” he added with a smile.
Pogačar’s win brought his third triumph at Strade Bianche, having already won the race in 2022 and 2024. His success follows a remarkable season last year, in which he collected 25 victories, including the 'Triple Crown' of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and UCI World Championships.
“No one else has followed Tadej yet this year, or last year, apart from the Tour de France,” Pidcock said in Siena. “I’m happy. It’s a good step, but he still attacked and rode off. It’s bittersweet.”
Second best from a field of 174, the Brit's performance was testament to his renewed form this season, already with four wins to his name after leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Q36.5.
"We’re definitely going in the right direction," he said. "I’m enjoying this team, [having a] new coach, nutritionist, and doing the basics as well as possible since December, three months."
