Portugal Colonial - 'Game-changer' Pidcock to miss Tour de France but eyes 2026 assault

The 25-year-old, who claimed victory on the iconic Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour on his 2022 debut, enters the new season with the Q36.5 team after a four-year spell with Ineos Grenadiers.

However, his new Swiss-based outfit are in the second tier of the sport and therefore are not automatically placed in the sport's three Grand Tours. Instead they are at the mercy of invitations.

"The idea of not going to the Tour this year and, I hope, coming back in 2026 with increased desire suits me," Pidcock told a small group of journalists, including AFP, on Sunday in Calpe, in the southeast of Spain, where his team is training.

Pidcock, a two-time Olympic mountain bike champion, is no stranger to success on the road -- he was victorious at the 2023 Strade Bianche and last year's Amstel Gold Race.

Although he will miss the Tour de France, he hopes to feature at the Giro d'Italia.

"We'll have to wait until it's confirmed, but I would like to be in Strade, Sanremo, and then the Giro is also a possibility," said Pidcock.

"But we don't know yet. I think the biggest question mark is probably the Giro, but I guess we should know pretty soon."

Pidcock admitted that his decision to leave top-tier Ineos came after a "difficult" 2024 season for both parties.

His 2024 Tour de France hopes were ended by Covid, a little over two weeks before the Paris Olympics.

"Things did not go as planned, it was better for everyone that I left," he said, adding that he was following "his heart" in penning a deal with Q36.5.

"After the Olympics, I said to my girlfriend that now I want to prove myself on the road.

"But I don't feel a pressure to do it. I've won two Olympic gold medals, world titles (cross country and cyclo-cross) and big races on the road.

"I'm not really the person who's very good at being able to win smaller races. I kind of put all my eggs in the one basket of the big races. And they're obviously harder to win. But I think I should win more on the road."

Q36.5 general manager Doug Ryder described the recruitment of Pidcock as a "game-changer".

"It lifts the whole team. We are the only team in the top 25 that has not ridden a Grand Tour in the last years.

"The arrival of Tom improves our chances. The Giro is a big aim, the Vuelta also. Our big objective is to go to the 2026 Tour de France. Tom wants to be counted as a general classification rider and aim for the top five in a Grand Tour.

"This year will be a transition year but we have big aspirations and big dreams."

M.A.Vaz--PC