"Finishing in the Top 5 would be a surprise": Pidcock's goal changes in just five stages

Tom Pidcock started the 2026 Tour de France with the intention of exploring how far he could go in the general classification. Just five stages later, and even before facing the first major mountain day, his coach Kurt Bogaerts recalibrated his expectations: finishing in the top five no longer seems a realistic goal, but rather a result that would surprise even Pidcock's own circle.

Pidcock and his coach change their goal before the first major mountain stage

“If Tom finishes in the top five here in the Tour, it would be quite a surprise,” Bogaerts acknowledges in statements to In de Leiderstrui.

The statement is particularly significant because Pidcock has not yet suffered any setbacks in the general classification. The leader of Pinarello-Q36.5 faces the sixth stage, with the Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet, 1:22 behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. However, the feelings from these first days and, above all, a preparation very different from what was initially planned have led the rider and his coach to rethink the race.

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The podium achieved by Pidcock in the 2025 Vuelta a España opened a new scenario in his sports career. The Briton showed that he could maintain consistency over three weeks and during the winter he did not hide his intention to see how far he could go in the general classification of the Tour.

But that project has lost momentum as the race approached and now, after the first five stages, Bogaerts openly acknowledges that the approach is different.

“For Tom and for me, it is quite clear. We want to finish the Tour, that is a goal. And, above all, we want to leave here with motivation to come back next year with the right ambitions. In the end, he hasn’t had the right preparation for this Tour, so he also needs to regain the joy of racing it,” explains the Belgian coach.

Pidcock will continue competing alongside the general classification men as long as his legs allow him, but seeking a specific position in Paris has ceased to be the immediate priority.

“He wants to see where his limit is in the classification and how far he can go, but that is not really on the table right now,” admits Bogaerts.

A fall and an illness completely changed his path to the Tour

The problem lies not so much in what happened during the first stages but in everything Pidcock has been carrying since months ago.

His serious fall in Catalonia in March disrupted a preparation that had been progressing as planned until then. Although he was able to return to competition relatively quickly, the interruption prevented him from maintaining the expected progression and also left the team without some important references to gauge his true level against the Tour's main favorites.

“Catalonia changed everything a bit,” summarizes Bogaerts. “I had really good feelings, but then being unable to do anything for eleven days is very unusual,” he adds.

To that setback was added an illness suffered just three weeks before the start of the Tour. Pidcock arrived in Barcelona without completing the preparation that his coach deemed necessary to face a fight for the top positions in the general classification with guarantees.

The 18 seconds in Les Angles also left some doubts

So far, the most challenging moment for Pidcock came in the third stage. The Briton lost 18 seconds to Pogacar in Les Angles after a day marked by extreme temperatures.

The rider himself stated after crossing the finish line that he had finished completely empty and Bogaerts admits that his current form still affects his ability to respond to such demanding situations.

“Tom has suffered some setbacks because he got sick three weeks before the Tour. That’s why he is a bit behind in his preparation. And the better your physical condition, the better you can face different circumstances,” he explains.

However, his coach does not consider the difference given that day to be worrying. Pidcock was poorly positioned at the start of the final climb and had to tackle the hairpin turns from the back of the favorites' group, a situation that further complicated his chances of responding to the accelerations.

The Tourmalet will decide what race Pidcock can make

The sixth stage now appears as the first major test. Pidcock will face the Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet still close to the main favorites, and it will be there that he will begin to discover how far he can really go in this Tour.

“With the interruption he had in his preparation, now we have to stay in the race during the first week and then see how we can go home with something. I think winning a stage would be very important,” Bogaerts assures.

The partial victory thus begins to gain weight over the general classification. According to his coach, Pidcock would prefer to win a stage rather than simply finish in the top ten, especially after having shown with his podium in the Vuelta that he can compete for a general classification over three weeks.

The long-term goal has not disappeared. Pidcock wants to stand out someday in the Tour also fighting for the general classification. But everything points to 2026 being, above all, a race to gain experience, seek opportunities, and arrive in Paris eager to return.

The change in expectations has occurred in just five stages. Pidcock left Barcelona ready to discover how far he could go in the general classification and faces the first major mountain day knowing that a place in the top five would be, in the words of his own coach, more of a surprise than the expected result.