‘Not really that fun’ – Pidcock says UAE domination feels ‘sombre’
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Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) was at a loss about how to compete with UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar after the Slovenian’s Strade Bianche win.
The Slovenian rider made it a record four titles in Siena, charging to victory for a third consecutive year, adding to his healthy list of honours on his 2026 season debut.
The 27-year-old, who boasts four Tour de France wins, one Giro d’Italia, and many more stage races and one-day events, is in the conversation for the greatest cyclist of all time.
For his UAE team, Pogacar’s victory was a boost in the early-season action, but the standings also reflected the team’s dominance on the day.
Pogacar’s team-mate Isaac del Toro finished third, meaning the team had two of the three podium places, with Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) second. UAE’s Jan Christensen took sixth place, a little over two minutes behind the event winner.
Just behind him, in seventh, was Pidcock, the 2023 Strade Bianche winner who finished second last year.
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The Briton explained that he had some technical difficulties on Saturday, but also acknowledged just how dominant the winning team had been.
He began: “I think you can feel a bit of sombreness here, with Visma there behind [us] as well.
“When UAE are like that, there’s not much you can do.
“My chain fell off twice, and that really killed my momentum there. But I wouldn’t have been with Tadej anyway, I think.
“I don’t think it changed the race much apart from taking a bit more out of me.”
Pidcock added that he found it tough to keep going, not just because of the problems that affected his bike, but also because of knowing that the riders ahead of him were pulling away with an almost insurmountable lead in the final stages of the race.
He continued: “It’s so difficult when you’re in the group behind when you know the race has gone.
“You can always think this is just the race now, but it’s not really how it is when there are guys in front.
“I was just too far back. It was not really that fun, to be honest.”
Pidcock was asked if he still retained hope of pulling off a comeback even when he was over 90 seconds behind, and while he claimed he was still hopeful – “at one point” – he acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with a superior opponent.
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He added:” I think that’s a pretty big gap when you’re thinking about the final. I ran out of legs at the final as well.”
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