There is a sense of what might have been about Tom Pidcock’s autumn campaign. The results list is strong – six top-10s in his last seven races – but his only win came at a lower-tier race in Italy at the beginning of that run. The real target was the World Championships, where he was bullish about his chances on a route perfectly designed for him.
He came seventh, his second-best result at Worlds, and has seemed largely satisfied with this stretch of the season and his consistency. But, in the absence of the injured and recuperating Tadej Pogacar, this run of races was his – and everyone else’s, of the same profile – to seize. And no-one has really stepped out of the Slovenian’s shadow.
