Tom Pidcock: I didn’t have a clear goal at the Tour de France and I paid the price

After coming away from this year’s Tour de France without a stage win or a result on GC, Tom Pidcock has confirmed that he will focus on the overall standings in 2024.

The British rider won a stage at the Tour de France in 2022 when making his debut and finished 16th overall. This year he returned to the Tour and looked strong in places. However, he missed out on a stage and finished 13th overall, having dropped outside the top-10 during the race's second half.

“Last year I didn’t really know what I wanted and what the team wanted. I didn’t have a clear goal and I paid the price for that. I came home with nothing,” Pidcock told Sporza ahead of his cyclo-cross debut this weekend.

“This year, I want to fully focus on the general classification,” Pidcock said about the 2024 race.

“My goal will become clearer after some stage races earlier in the year. I believe in myself more than last year, but I won’t be able to say specifically what my goal is until later.”

In November, Pidcock’s coach Kurt Bogaerts told GCN that a top-five and a stage win would represent progress for the British rider.

“Progression from this year would be good. Like a top-five, a stage win with the GC contenders. That would be a healthy ambition. If you can ride top five then you’re close to the podium, but this year he was 13th, and well behind, so there are some serious steps that need to be done and we need to work hard at limiting losses,” Bogaerts told GCN.

“Tom has shown good progression with the Tour. In my opinion, his Tour de France in 2023 was better than his first one, he just missed a stage win but his general progression was better. He was a stronger bike rider so hopefully he can make that curve continue in the right direction. Tom rode the majority of the Tour hard, he had two off days, and was really strong coming out of the Tour.”

Read more: Tour de France progression for Tom Pidcock would be top five and a stage win, says Ineos coach

After a limited cyclo-cross campaign, Pidcock will turn his attention to the road with a likely start at the Volta ao Algarve in February. The 24-year-old will race a limited Classics campaign with the focus on peaking during the Ardennes in late April.

Ineos Grenadiers has set to announce their overall plans for the Tour de France next summer but Carlos Rodriguez, who won a stage and finished fifth overall in 2023, is set to return. Veteran all-rounder Geraint Thomas has not confirmed his race schedule, telling GCN in November that he is still open to racing either the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France. The former Tour winner could even race both events, targeting the GC at the Giro before conforming to a super domestique role in July.