Pidcock/Ineos Rift – what’s up?

I don’t get road riding at all. Can someone educate me in the how and why of “Tom Pidcock isn’t a GC contender” and why those people are so sure about it? I just don’t get how a guy that can win races of any format can be written off so completely.

What is a “domestique” anyway and why is being one necessary?

Speeder – It’s taken me years of watching Grand tour races and reading books about racers/racing to understand the ins and outs. It’s very complicated and would take me about 2 hours to explain why Pidders isn’t GC material.

However the domestique roll – a really talented rider able to read the road, conditions, look after their GC (or stage win hopeful for that particular day), able to go back and get water bottles, extra food and literally turn their bodies inside out for the team leader. In other words a servant. But sometimes the super domestique ends up in the winning roll eg Geraint Thomas.

I’m sure someone else will come along and explain a little better than I the GC question.

 don’t get road riding at all. Can someone educate me in the how and why of “Tom Pidcock isn’t a GC contender” and why those people are so sure about it? I just don’t get how a guy that can win races of any format can be written off so completely.

  What is a “domestique” anyway and why is being one necessary?

He hasn’t won ‘races of any format’ in that he’s had very little success in stage races thus far. That’s why some people are dismissing him as a GC contender. He could potentially be a GC contender but he’d need to train and race differently to bring out the different attributes needed for a GC rider. Whether he wants to do that or not is the key thing really.

Domestiques ride in support of a leader, they’re important in most road races but particularly in stage races. Some riders have been capable of winning without much of a team but it’s not so common.

If we count Cav and Froome as retired, Pidcock is likely the only current professional cyclist my parents can name. And certainly the only Brit.

I personally had never heard of Q36.5 until this autumn. And I now know they ride Scott bikes where previously I could not name a road team that rode that brand.

When he goes to the XC, he is one of the main threats, he gets talked about by the commentators even when he’s not on screen. When he’s starting way back, or he has a puncture, the other riders want to know where he is. I guess for Tom the ego stroking adds a few watts.

The same I imagine will happen being a team’s lead rider in a classic or monument.