'I want to enjoy the suffering' - Tom Pidcock confirms Tour de France return

The Briton made three Tour appearances during his time at Ineos Grenadiers, winning a stage at Alpe d’Huez on his debut in 2022 and placing 13th overall in Paris a year later.

Pidcock missed last year’s Tour as Q36.5 did not secure a wildcard place, but he made a significant breakthrough as a GC contender by placing third overall at the Vuelta a España in September.

Pinarello-Q36.5 received an automatic invitation to this year’s Tour by dint of their place in the UCI standings, and Pidcock confirmed on Monday that he will be on the start in Barcelona on July 4. Pidcock had previously limited himself to revealing his Spring racing pending the formal confirmation of his team’s place at the Tour.

“The Tour de France is the biggest bike race in the world,” Pidcock said in a statement released by his team on Monday. 

“To be able to go there and to try and perform the best you can is an honour. So I think that’s an exciting task for us as a team, to be there in the best shape possible. I think it’s really special that we’re going to the Tour de France this year. 

“I think it’s a massive opportunity. I’ve had ups and downs in the Tour de France the last years, so it’s nice now, with this new team, to earn our own place there. It’s the biggest stage we have to race on. With that comes so much baggage but I think in this team they help me carry it all.”

Manager Doug Ryder has strengthened the roster around Pidcock for 2026, with new arrivals including Eddy Dunbar, Fred Wright, Chris Harper, Thomas Gloag and Sam Bennett. 

Pidcock confessed to being short of his best at last year’s Giro d’Italia after racing early and often in order to ensure his team received a wildcard invitation to the race. Automatic qualification for the Tour means that the Briton will be able to tailor his early season accordingly.

“I think personally, my biggest objective is to go there, enjoy the suffering, enjoy the intensity of the race, the media, the racing…” Pidcock said. “I think if we can enjoy it and enjoy the suffering as a team, then the results will come from that. 

“I think we’re a team that’s growing, so to have the opportunity to go and race the Tour is just one step along the way. Of course, where we want to go is to be at the Tour de France every year, racing every year for wins. So yeah, it’s another step on the ladder of where we want to get to, I guess.”

Pidcock opted against racing on the cyclocross circuit this winter and he has been training at altitude in Chile in recent weeks. The 26-year-old is scheduled to start his season at the Vuelta a Murcia on February 13 before tackling the Clásica Jaén and the Ruta del Sol.

Although he will forgo the Tour of Flanders to focus on the Ardennes Classics in April, Pidcock is still set to ride Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo this Spring.