'Mathieu is far ahead of me' – Tom Pidcock talks comparisons to Van der Poel as Vuelta GC bid rules out duel at MTB Worlds

VICENZA, ITALY - MAY 23: Thomas Pidcock of Great Britain and Team Q36.5 Pro Cycling reacts after the 108th Giro d'Italia 2025, Stage 13 a 180km stage from Rovigo to Vicenza / #UCIWT / on May 23, 2025 in Vicenza, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images).

The next chapter of Tom Pidcock's 2025 season with Q36.5 will see him take on the Vuelta a España, where he will eye a top 10 GC finish, but this means he will miss out on a potential duel with Mathieu van der Poel at the Mountain Bike World Championships in September.

Pidcock said it was "a shame" that he wouldn't get to battle against the Dutchman, with the third week of the Vuelta overlapping with MTB Worlds. Q36.5 team was awarded a wildcard entry for a second Grand Tour this year, so Pidcock will race on the road in Spain rather on World Championship dirt in Switzerland.