Tom Pidcock’s Tour de France target shifts as coach admits top-five finish would be a surprise

The 26-year-old has not looked out of place in the opening stages and remains within reach of Tadej Pogačar in the general classification, sitting 1min 22sec behind the Slovenian.

Yet his coach Kurt Bogaerts has made clear that the team is measuring this Tour differently.

“For Tom and me, it is pretty clear,” Bogaerts told In de Leiderstrui. “We want to finish the Tour. That is one goal. And above all, we want to come out of it motivated, so that next year we can return with the right ambitions.”

Pidcock spoke during the winter about exploring what he could do in the Tour de France general classification. His podium finish at the 2025 Vuelta a España had changed the conversation around him. 

It showed that a rider known for Olympic mountain bike titles, cyclocross success and explosive one day performances could remain focused across three weeks.

The Tour, however, has arrived after a less than ideal preparation. Bogaerts pointed to illness three weeks before the race and, more importantly, the consequences of Pidcock’s crash in Catalonia in March, where he fell into a ravine and suffered a knee injury.

“Catalonia changed everything a bit,” Bogaerts said.

Pidcock returned to racing quickly, but the interruption changed the rhythm of his season. Bogaerts said the team also lost an important reference point. They had hoped to see how Pidcock measured up against riders such as Jonas Vingegaard during that period.

“He had a really good feeling,” Bogaerts said. “But when you then cannot do anything for eleven days, that is very unusual.”

Those missing days are now part of the calculation. Stage three to Les Angles, raced in severe heat, offered the first sign that Pidcock was still searching for his best level. He had been mentioned as a possible contender for the uphill finish, but when the favourites accelerated, he could not follow the strongest moves.

“The big moral of the story is how bloody hot it was all day,” Pidcock told Cyclism'Actu afterwards. “I don’t think I’ve done such a hard race in such heat before. It was ridiculous.”

By the finish, he said there was little left.

“I just didn’t have anything in the final,” Pidcock said. “I was a bit cooked.”

The wider question is what Pidcock’s Tour should become. He remains close enough in the standings to keep riding with the general classification riders for now. 

The Col d’Aspin and Tourmalet will offer a clearer answer. Bogaerts expects that first week to show whether Pidcock can keep aiming at the overall picture, or whether the race should be shaped around stage opportunities.

“He wants to see where his limit is in the classification and how far he can go,” Bogaerts said. “But that is not really on the agenda right now.”

For Pidcock, that approach fits with the way he described his mindset before the race. Speaking on Frodeno’s Going Mental podcast, he said he wanted to remove the pressure of specific targets.

“This year I’m not going with any expectations,” Pidcock said. “I want to race, and I want to have fun, and the rest will come.”

That may explain why Pidcock and Bogaerts are being careful with the language around this race. 

A top ten in Paris would usually be a major result for a rider still learning the demands of riding Grand Tours for the overall. For Pidcock, a stage win may carry more value according to Bogaerts, especially after already proving in the Vuelta that he can stand on a Grand Tour podium.

Bogaerts suggested that the biggest goal is still to make Pidcock visible in the biggest race of the season. That can happen through a stage win now, and perhaps through a future general classification bid when the preparation has been right.

The Belgian coach was clear about where expectations should sit for now.

“If Tom finishes top five here in the Tour, that would be quite a surprise,” Bogaerts said.