No rider pushed Tadej Pogacar closer at a Monument in 2026 than Tom Pidcock. On the Via Roma in March, the Briton came off Pogacar’s wheel and drew level with him, but the Slovenian’s bike hit the line four centimeters first at Milano-Sanremo on March 21.

Five months later, on Sunday, August 30, Pidcock rode out from the fifth row of the start grid at Val di Sole and soloed to the elite men’s cross-country world title. He crossed the line in 1:25:26, 17 seconds ahead of compatriot Charlie Aldridge, with Cole Punchard taking bronze at 31 seconds. Mathieu van der Poel, chasing the only rainbow jersey missing from his collection, finished 30th at 4:40.

It was Pidcock’s second XCO world title, his first since 2023.

“In the final two laps I just gave everything to see if I could build an advantage. It was a really hard race,” Pidcock said after the race, as reported by Domestique Cycling.

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He dedicated the title to Finlay Tarling, the 19-year-old British rider who died on August 14 following a crash on stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal.

Five wins and a first Grand Tour top 10

On the road, Pidcock closed the season fifth in the UCI world rankings, a career best. He took five victories for Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling, in chronological order:

• February 22: Vuelta a Andalucía, stage 5
• March 18: Milano-Torino
• April 22: Tour of the Alps, stage 3
• June 21: Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica
• September 6: GP Industria & Artigianato

The Tour de France was the next proving ground. Pidcock finished ninth overall in Paris, 29 minutes and 28 seconds behind Pogacar, for his first Grand Tour top 10. He placed third on stage 9 from Malemort to Ussel and third on stage 13 from Dole to Belfort.

What it will take to actually beat Pogacar

The ninth place is the milestone, but the raw time is the honest number. Pogacar won his fifth Tour by 6 minutes and 26 seconds over Remco Evenepoel and crossed the line in Paris almost half an hour clear of Pidcock. At the Monuments, the Slovenian has not been beaten by the British rider this year either.

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Pinarello-Q36.5 has moved to lighten the load. The team has signed Giulio Ciccone, Mauro Schmid, Ethan Hayter and AJ August among 10 new riders for the 2027 WorldTour season, aimed at giving Pidcock dedicated support in Grand Tour mountains and the closing phases of the classics.

“Tom finishing fifth in the world, the highest ranking of his career, is another exceptional milestone,” team principal Doug Ryder said, as reported by Cyclingnews.

The new signings begin racing in the team’s jersey with the opening of the 2027 WorldTour season in January.

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