'I've made a few mistakes recently' - Pidcock ready to swap placings for victory at Il Lombardia

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) has a simple wish for Il Lombardia: "good legs." The Briton's hope is that he can fight for victory in the final Monument of 2026 and end a recent run of strong performances that haven't been converted into wins.

Pidcock is one of the favourites for Il Lombardia alongside Isaac del Toro and world champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), new European champion Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Paul Siexas (Decathlon CMA CGM), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek).

He was a close second to Tadej Pogačar at Milan-Sanremo and was second to Evenepoel at the 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He is suited to the demanding climbs of Lombardy. 

Evenepoel named the Yorkshireman as one of the riders he fears on Saturday.

"That's nice to hear but I think I'm also afraid of him, afraid of the other guys. There's a lot of guys who can win, so I think it should be a great race," Pidcock told Domestique and other media after the pre-race team presentation in Bergamo on Friday afternoon.

"I think it will be a bit of a tactical game. So saving some energy for the end will be important.

"We rode the last 110km during a recon ride and it's a hard race. I think it suits me better with the finish in Como, rather than the other way. The final circuit in Como will be super tough." 

The absence of Pogačar should make this year's Il Lombardia a far more open and tactical race. That could help Pidcock.

"I like to think I'm good tactically but I've made a few mistakes the last few weeks or the last week," he said, keen to change five recent top-ten results and two second places at the Giro dell'Emilia and Tre Valli Varesine into victories.

"That's what we hope for. I've learnt that I've had stronger legs than perhaps I thought, and that sometimes, I just need to control the race myself.

"A lot of eyes have been on me in the last races and I think and I need to learn how to deal with that sometimes. It's not easy but it's also a sign of respect." 

Il Lombardia will be Pidcock's 54th day of racing in a season that started in mid-February. He took on Pogačar at Milan-San Remo, came back from a crash into a ravine at the Volta a Catalunya that left him with a knee injury and went on to finish ninth on GC at the Tour de France.

Pidcock won the mountain bike cross country world title at the end of August and then switched back to road racing in Canada. He was aggressive and a contender for a medal at the World Championships in Montreal but finished seventh.

His 2026 season will not end in Lombardia and he will quickly jump on a plane for China to target the Tour of Guangxi. He is an overall contender for the final WorldTour race and a haul of ranking points would be useful to his Pinarello-Q36.5 ProTeam for 2027.

"I definitely feel it's been a long year but I feel good at the same time," Pidcock said, confirming he will travel to China.

"I've been listening to my body quite well, taking the rest where I need it. I'm in really great shape now and hopefully can make the most of it."