'I love this race' - Tom Pidcock expects high pace as he relies on instincts to win Milan-San Remo

Tom Pidcock of Q365 Pro Cycling acknowledges crowd at team presentation the day before 2025 Milan-San Remo
Tom Pidcock of Q365 Pro Cycling acknowledges crowd at team presentation the day before 2025 Milan-San Remo (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

Tom Pidcock has only raced Milan-San Remo twice but he went tantalisingly close to victory in 2024 when he attacked inside the final kilometre.

He was caught in sight of the Via Roma finish line but is back this year, more motivated than ever after his move from Ineos Grenadiers to Q36.5 Pro Cycling, and seemingly in even better form.

The Yorkshireman bravely took on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at Strade Bianche and impressed at Tirreno-Adriatico. He seems ready to do it again at Milan-San Remo.

"I can sense that people can feel the energy I have and the way I'm racing. It's really nice, it gives you extra motivation," Pidcock said after the team presentation on Friday in Pavia, south of Milan, where the 289km Monument will again start on Saturday.

"I'm happy with the condition I have. There have been a few second places recently but hopefully we can change that at Milan-San Remo.

"It's going to be a nice race. It's one of the highlights of the year. I love this race. I feel I know it well even if I've only actually ridden the final twice."

He knows that every moment of Milan-San Remo, every tactical choice, every extra effort and every mistake can make the difference between victory and defeat.  

"Every decision you make can take you out of the race. You only have one shot to win Milan-San Remo," he said.

"But I have as good a chance as anyone. There's not one favourite, there are a lot of favourites."

"I'll wait for an attack from Tadej…" he said provocatively.

"I'm sure they want to make a hard race but what suits Tadej, suits me too. I hope I can benefit from that.

"I think UAE will race like last year but I think they have a better team. Jhonatan Narváez can play a big role, set a high pace and so set up an attack from Pogačar. Last year the pace wasn't hard enough, this year it could be."

"Mathieu van der Poel," he replied.

"Filippo Ganna," he said.

"Me!"

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.

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