Tom Pidcock: 5 legendary career highlights

Tom Pidcock has achieved more in his 26 years than some riders will manage in their whole career. The British rider is a multi-discipline master, picking up iconic victories and executing dominant displays across road, cyclo-cross and cross-country mountain biking, and all with a riding style and panache that make him one of the most exciting talents to watch.

Since turning pro on the road in 2021, he’s racked up 10 key wins in one-day races and Grand Tours, while simultaneously securing world championships, world cups and Olympic titles on the rough stuff. And given his performances during the 2025 season, it’s clear he’s not finished yet, either – his back-to-back top-10 finishes in the final weekend of the season at Il Lombardia and the UCI Gravel World Championships less than 24 hours later highlighting a grit and determination to perform at his peak during every race he enters.

With titles in four disciplines, Pidcock is a cycling Superman

When journalists asked why he’d take on such a punishing double instead of focusing on one race, Pidcock simply smiled and replied, “Why not?” He admitted it wasn’t easy, “It’s not ideal, but who cares?”, a typically matter-of-fact response from a rider who thrives on testing his limits.”

As his first year leading new team Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on the road draws to a close, here are some of the legendary moments that have influenced his career so far, and will shape his future successes.

Announcing himself to the world on the Alpe d’Huez

Pidcock wears the white jersey during the 2022 Tour de France

Pidcock had already shown himself as a precocious talent, but he would truly announce himself to the world during his Tour de France debut in 2022.

The Alpe d’Huez is one of the race’s most iconic climbs, and any stage that features an ascent is one of the key focal points of the Tour, with winners atop L’Alpe going down in cycling history. But Pidcock wasn’t just the first rider up its snaking, 21 hairpins. He absolutely crushed it.

The year’s 165km stage 12 also featured the Hors Categorie climbs of the Col du Galibier and Col de la Croix de Fer before the course reached the foot of the Alpe d’Huez and it was on the descent of the former that Pidcock sensed his chances. Flying down the mountain and utilising bike handling skills honed off-road, the then-22-year-old went in pursuit of the day’s breakaway. After catching and integrating himself into the nine-man group, he remained at the front of the race as the leading group was whittled down to five, including four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome.

With 8km left of the 13.9km final climb, Pidcock attacked, setting a pace that none of his fellow breakaways could handle. Surging through the hairpins, he crossed the finish arms aloft with a lead of 48 seconds over second-place Louis Meintjes. The victory was not only his first (and currently only) Tour de France stage win, but Pidcock also became the youngest-ever winner on the Alpe d’Huez.

Viral descending masterclasses

Although the Tour de France stage win in 2022 had highlighted his downhill prowess, Pidcock has set the internet alight numerous times since with a number of viral videos that highlight why he’s regarded as one of the best descenders in the professional peloton.

The first to break cover was his collaboration with YouTuber SafaBrian, which saw Pidcock take on the Tuna Canyon descent in Los Angeles, and featured some heart-in-mouth moments including a rear-tyre skid on a patch of oil on the road.

Pidcock celebrates winning the Amstel Gold Race 2024

Although Pidcock had dreamed of wearing the leader’s jersey of cycling’s legendary Grand Tours, his explosive power and off-road skills honed in cyclo-cross suggested that, like rivals Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, he’d make a great one-day racer. Typically held in tough early- or late-season conditions and including sections of cobbles, rough roads, rolling hills and gravel, the Classics are made for a rider of Pidcock’s abilities.He’d shown his potential too with podium finishes at Amstel Gold Race (2021) and Dwars door Vlaanderen (2022), but his Strade Bianche victory in 2023 turned promise into reality. Going solo 20km from the line, he used his bike handling skills on the legendary white Tuscan roads to open up a gap, before extending his lead on the latter stage’s rolling descents. Entering Siena’s Piazza del Campo, it was his biggest Classics victory to date and would make him a contender at any future one-day race – as seen at the 2024 Amstel Gold Race.

Overcoming adversity on the biggest stage

Pidcock had the Olympic bling on show with his kit and the golden shoes

While Pidcock has excelled on the road, he has dominated cross-country mountain biking since joining the elite class in 2021. In four years, he has won eight UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cups, two UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cups, two European titles and a home UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championships in 2023. But it’s his two Olympic golds that stand out above the rest.

In his first, at Tokyo 2020, Pidcock took an early solo lead and managed his advantage until the end. But at Paris 2024, he displayed that never-say-die attitude when defending his crown. Pidcock’s tactics were a carbon copy of those that had worked three years earlier, and by lap three, he was in the lead. But a mid-race puncture saw him lose 37 seconds, and he spent the remainder of the race clawing back France’s Victor Koretzky’s advantage, overtaking the home favourite moments from the line to become only the second man since Julien Absalon to win back-to-back gold medals.

Coming of age as a Grand Tour prospect

Climbing at the Giro

The 2025 season saw a fresh start for Pidcock. After leaving Ineos Grenadiers to lead Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, the 26-year-old had extra responsibility on his shoulders – but he seemed to thrive under the additional pressure.

A debut Giro d’Italia saw a solid ride, albeit no individual honours. But it would be his second Grand Tour of the season – Spain’s La Vuelta – where he would come of age as a general classification prospect.

As the heat of the race intensified, Pidcock didn’t wilt, and stuck to the rear wheels of favourites Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida throughout, securing a podium spot on stage 11 and defending it until the race’s conclusion in Madrid 10 days later.

His third-place finish was an amazing result that solidified the potential he had shown at previous Tours de France, and with his best years still ahead of him, it’s a sign that Pidcock will be challenging for general classification honours in the not-too-distant future.

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Tom PidcockTom Pidcock is a talented multi-threat of a cyclist, equally at home on a mountain bike as he is on the road or a cyclo-cross circuit.

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