Pidcock eyes Tour de France in 2026

CW tech writer Aaron Borrill catches up with the Q36.5 leader as they race across South Africa

- Words: Aaron Borrill Photos: Gravel Burn

Tom Pidcock didn't spend as much time racing off-road this season as he had hoped, but a gravel stage race in South Africa was the end of his 2025, where Cycling Weekly caught up with him, racing alongside the Brit.

Despite the pressure that came with leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Q36.5 Pro Cycling, 2025 was a successful year for the multi-discipline rider, with five wins on the road being his most in a season yet. Beyond the victories, though, Pidcock finished in the top 10 at Tirreno-Adriatico, and finished on the podium at Strade Bianche and Flèche Wallonne, before capping his season off with third overall at the Vuelta a España.

After taking two weeks off the bike to unwind, during which time he proposed to his girlfriend, he travelled to South Africa to take on a new, albeit less-pressurised challenge – Gravel Burn, an 800km seven-stage gravel race through South Africa’s remote and unforgiving Great Karoo region. With no real pressure to perform, the Briton took it easy for the first few stages before rolling the dice and winning the mountaintop finish on stage five in a dominant display that silenced many of the GC hopefuls.

‘Cool adventure’