There's no stopping pedal powerhouse Pidcock

He's already taken mountain biking and cyclo-cross by storm... now Tom wants yellow jersey

- Matt Majendie

GILES PIDCOCK has given up setting any expectations for his 23-year-old son.

Still in the infancy of his career, Tom’s achievements are impressive: mountain bike Olympic gold medallist, cyclo-cross world champion and winner of the prestigious Alpe d’Huez climb at last year’s Tour de France.

When the Tour gets underway in Bilbao tomorrow, the target is for another stage win and maybe a spell in the leader’s yellow jersey, but not overall victory.

However, as his father puts it: “One thing you learn about Tom is not to set your expectations too low, as he’ll always surprise you. You’ll be watching a race and then you think, ‘F***ing hell, how did he do that?!’ Nothing surprises us anymore.”

Pidcock Sr runs his own financial management firm, and it was at his offices on Bastille Day last year that he set himself up in a meeting room to part-work, part-watch. By the end, the entire workforce had downed tools to watch Tom leave the best climbers in the world trailing in his wake.

This year, Giles will leave the environs of the office to be in France with the family for the Alpine stages, the latest stepping stone for their 5ft 5in, nine stone cycling son, who has lofty aims well beyond this three-week race.