Pidcock being Pidcock in Chile: off-road descents and wheelie contests

It's fair to say that Pidcock’s reputation is built on descending. The reference points are familiar: the Tour de France in 2022, when he turned the downhill of the Galibier into a launchpad for his Alpe d’Huez win, and the Red Bull clip from June 2025 that travelled fast online after he was shown touching a reported 95 km per hour.

Chile has offered a slightly different version of the same story. Christen’s clip shows Pidcock descending on loose, uneven ground on a standard road setup, which only sharpens the contrast between what he is doing and what most riders would choose to do in training.

Earlier this week, another video circulated from the camp, this time showing Pidcock in a wheelie contest against Chilean mountain biker Jaoko Munoz. It was a light hearted moment, and typically Pidcock, a reminder that even in the middle of serious training he rarely resists turning a bike into a bit of fun.

Pinarello-Q36.5 are spending January in Chile preparing for the new season, with a group that includes Pidcock alongside Brent Van Moer, Xandro Meurisse, Quinten Hermans, Thomas Gloag, Fred Wright and Fabio Christen.

Head of Performance Kurt Bogaerts told Sporza recently he choice was practical as much as it was novel. Sierra Nevada has had heavy snowfall this winter, while Tenerife is reliable but repetitive. Chile, he said, offered better weather and a new environment, with temperatures around 30°C inland and 15 to 20°C at altitude.

Last week, Pidcock outlined his early season programme. His February block includes Murcia, Clásica Jaén and Andalucía, before Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. March features Strade Bianche, then Torino, Sanremo and Catalunya. He is due to move into the Ardennes in April with Brabantse Pijl, Amstel, Flèche Wallonne and his big goal Liège-Bastogne-Liège.