A Tom Pidcock shifter issue ended his chance to properly challenge Mathieu van der Poel for a Tour de France stage win, after a piece of asphalt jammed inside his right-hand control.
Pidcock finished third behind Van der Poel, but the Pinarello-Q36.5 rider crossed the line visibly angry. He had been in contention for a first Tour stage victory since Alpe d’Huez in 2022.
Tom Pidcock shifter issue hits on final climb
The mechanical trouble began on the day’s final climb. Pidcock’s chain jammed, and he briefly lost contact as his shifting started to fail at a crucial moment.
The team later traced the problem to a chunk of asphalt lodged in the right-hand shifter. That stopped him changing gear from the drops, though the controls on the hoods still functioned.
Pidcock said he first thought the shifter had failed completely. He then realised he could still change gear from the top of the bars, but the discovery did not solve his sprint problem.
When the finish opened, he instinctively sprinted from the drops. That position left him unable to change gear, forcing him back onto the hoods while Van der Poel drove toward victory.
Pidcock called it “a shame” afterward, while also acknowledging the scale of the task. He said Van der Poel remains extremely difficult to beat in that kind of sprint, even without mechanical trouble.
Stage win remains Pidcock’s Tour de France target
The result still marked Pidcock’s best Tour de France stage finish since his second place in 2024. It also offered another sign of improved form after he joined Pinarello-Q36.5 last season.
Team boss Doug Ryder said the squad had enjoyed strong reliability with SRAM and had not experienced a similar issue. He also pointed to Pidcock’s technical awareness from mountain biking.
Pidcock remains 13th overall, 9:40 down, but his main Tour objective is now another stage victory. Sunday showed that he can still race deep into decisive moves.
He said he felt strong throughout the stage and believed his level had risen. He compared the performance with his previous Tour appearance on the 2024 gravel stage, where he finished second.
The breakaway formed in demanding conditions, and Pidcock made the selection that mattered. The problem was that Van der Poel, one of cycling’s most powerful finishers, made it as well.
With the hoods still working, Pidcock at least had a route to the line. Yet sprinting from that position gave him little margin against a rider so suited to the finale.
Pidcock said he was pleased to be sprinting for the win rather than sitting in the peloton. The frustration came from knowing the bike issue removed his clean chance to try.