Tom Pidcock's crazy weekend: From Il Lombardia to Gravel Worlds in 24 hours

It’s fair to say that Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) is set for quite a busy upcoming weekend, taking on Il Lombardia on Saturday, 11 October, before quickly travelling to the Netherlands to tackle the UCI Gravel World Championships the following day on Sunday in South Limburg.

For Pidcock, it will be the first time competing in either event, and doing so less than 24 hours apart will add an extra hurdle for the 26-year-old to negotiate in terms of a quick turnaround and change of discipline, something that the multi-disciplined star is used to. 

"They didn't make it easy for us by changing the location and date of the World Championships on gravel," his coach Kurt Bogaerts said to Sporza of the scheduling clash, which saw the Gravel Worlds be moved from its original October 18-19 date in Nice. However, as Bogaert explained, skipping Il Lombardia, the race of the falling leaves, wasn’t on the cards.

"For Tom, riding the Tour of Lombardy is important for the future," Bogaerts explained. "It's a race that should suit him well in the future."

Pidcock missed out on racing last year’s edition in Lombardy after he was “deselected” by the Ineos Grenadiers, and it was shortly announced afterwards that he would depart the British team, joining Q36.5 for 2026. It has been a successful debut season for Pidcock at the Swiss team, with five victories on the road, as well as a maiden Grand Tour podium finish at the Vuelta a España in September.

The British rider has carried his good form from the Spanish Grand Tour into the Autumn with 10th at the Road Race World Championships in Rwanda and 2nd at the Giro dell’Emilia, a fine illustration of what he is capable of ahead of this weekend and beyond. 

"His third place in the Vuelta has given Tom even more confidence for the Grand Tours," Bogaerts noted. "Tom also wants to continue scoring in the Classics, because he wants to have the broadest possible list of achievements by the end of his career."

The logistics of Pidcock's ambitious weekend will be challenging. After finishing Lombardy in Bergamo, he'll fly to Maastricht on Saturday evening, with his gravel bike and equipment already waiting in the Netherlands.

"What time is that flight? That depends on his result in Lombardy," Bogaerts said. "If Tom finishes on the podium, there will be some additional obligations after the race. In that case, we'll happily take a later flight."

The World Gravel Championships begin at noon on Sunday, giving Pidcock little recovery time. Bogaerts acknowledged the difficult schedule may affect his chances: "With Lombardy under his belt, you can't be the top favourite for the World Championships in Gravel the next day."

Despite the challenges, Pidcock specifically requested to end his season with the gravel Worlds. "Tom said at the beginning of the year that he absolutely wanted to do the World Championships on gravel," Bogaerts revealed. "He wanted to end the season on a positive note. Off-road races give Tom a good feeling."

A gravel world title would make Pidcock the second rider and first male to become the elite world champion in cyclocross, mountain bike (XCO) and gravel, joining Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with whom Pidcock worked off-road during their time at the Ineos Grenadiers.

Meanwhile, his coach indicated that cyclocross might take a backseat this winter, just like the 2024-2025 season, as Pidcock expands his road ambitions, though he didn’t rule out the prospect of an appearance entirely. 

The chances are very slim that Tom will race cyclocross this winter, but it's not out of the question," Bogaerts added. "We just have to make sure Tom has sufficient rest and build-up periods. Because Tom wants to compete and win wherever he starts, and good preparation is crucial for that."