‘He was like a zombie’: Tom Pidcock on racing Pogacar, his Grand Tour hopes and leaving Ineos

The British rider and unvarnished free spirit is in a good place heading into next month’s Tour de France

When Tom Pidcock talks about how it feels to chase down the greatest cyclist of his generation, his language is so vivid you can almost taste the salt-baked sweat on Tadej Pogacar’s jersey.

But as we discuss the pair’s epic duel at the Milan–San Remo classic in March, and what it was like when a bloodied Pogacar went nuclear on the final climb, Pidcock can’t help but smile.