“The best shape of my life”: Pidcock ends 2025 completely revitalized

Tom Pidcock is these days participating in the Gravel Burn to complete a brilliant 2025. In an exclusive interview with Cyclingnews, the British cyclist reviewed his first season with the Q36.5 team and assured that it has been a year of total transformation: “I think I can be really happy with this year. We thought it would be a transition season, but in the end it went very well. I was in the best shape of my life”.

Pidcock: “Now I can see myself enjoying the Grand Tours” 

In the interview, Pidcock explained that his signing with the Swiss team, after a tense departure from Ineos Grenadiers, was a personal and professional liberation. “Confidence and the belief of everyone around me, that was important”, he emphasized. “Also the knowledge and professionalism, in training and nutrition. It's the highest level I've ever had”.

The 26-year-old cyclist from Yorkshire confessed that one of the keys has been feeling more involved than ever in his new environment: “I really feel part of the team, not just a leader who arrives at races. I enjoy helping make decisions and growing the project. I like leadership; it's where I naturally want to be”.

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In addition, Pidcock has shown that he is capable of fighting for the podium in three-week races, something that was doubted about him last season, and he was satisfied with his performance especially with the third place achieved in the Vuelta a España, the biggest stage race success of his career. “Being able to perform in a Grand Tour is probably the biggest step I have taken in my career. And I enjoyed it as well”, he confessed.

Until this year, Pidcock had a love-hate relationship with the three weeks of competition: “Before, fighting for the general classification was not something I enjoyed. In the Vuelta, I raced to win stages from the front group, not just to hang on. I think I like it more now because I have been successful in it”.

Pidcock also recalled that his departure from Ineos was a gradual and “purely professional” process: “Ineos is a fantastic team, but they have their own goals and ways of doing things. Mine was a matter of compatibility, nothing personal”.

Looking ahead to next year, Pidcock is aiming for a new approach: “Now I can see myself enjoying more Grand Tours, not just suffering for something that doesn't seem worth it”. With the team strengthened, the entry of Pinarello as a sponsor and bike supplier, and Q36.5 having an automatic spot in the 2026 Tour de France, next year looks promising.

“I didn't miss the Tour this year, but it would be nice to return, having earned our own place there. If you enjoy what you do, you do it much better. That's the story of my 2025, hopefully it continues in 2026”, he concluded.