Tom Pidcock says Kigali UCI World Championships road race course 'suits me' but adds it may still be 'perfect Tadej climb' as Pogacar challenge looms
Updated 25/09/2025 at 13:29 GMT+1
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Tom Pidcock is coming off the back of his first Grand Tour podium after finishing third at La Vuelta earlier this month, and he has now arrived in Rwanda to take in the course in Kigali for the weekend's UCI World Championships road race event. Pidcock is optimistic about the layout, but also noted it could favour his rival and Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Britain’s Tom Pidcock believes the Kigali UCI World Championships course suits him, but also conceded that it might be "the perfect Tadej [Pogacar] climb".
The men's time trial event was won by Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, but Sunday, September 28, sees the road race event, featuring some of the biggest names in the sport, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
As well as Evenepoel, Pogacar and Pidcock, a host of others such as Primoz Roglic, Julian Alaphilippe, Juan Ayuso, Egan Bernal, Jay Vine and Richard Carapaz are looking for glory in Rwanda.
The event comes relatively soon after La Vuelta, where Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the title for the 2025 event, which finished on September 14. Pidcock came in third spot for Q36.5 Pro Cycling.
On how he felt after arriving to compete in Africa, the 26-year-old Briton told TNT Sports: "Pretty okay I think. A few days, tired, sleep and then not bad last week."
Pidcock continued: "I think it’s come round pretty fast. It feels a long time since the Vuelta.
"Also, difficult to balance - I haven’t really done full proper training yet - so how do I feel? I’m not really sure."
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He was asked how he found the conditions, considering some riders have found the altitude difficult to adjust to, but he played down that factor.
Pidcock answered: "It’s not really altitude. I don’t know why everyone... I think maybe there is a bit of air pollution, but I don’t think it’s too bad."
He was quizzed on whether during his runout of the circuit, he had done a long or short lap, and he said he opted for the latter.
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'I'm super proud of myself' - Pidcock on maiden Grand Tour podium
Video credit: TNT Sports
Pidcock also offered his observations about the course itself, and suggested that the climb would favour him, though he also suggested that the cobbled climb was reminiscent of the Oude Kwaremont.
Kwaremont is an infamous climb in Belgium that features in the Tour of Flanders and other events, and Pidcock believes that could play into the hands of the imperious Pogacar, representing Slovenia.
He explained: "We just did the short lap. I think the climbs are hard, but the roads are super fast and wide, so I think it’ll be a while until the bunch thins out where it’ll make more of a difference.
"When the bunch is big it’s quite a flowy circuit. I think with this amount of climb it suits me. With this cobbled climb, it’s like the Kwarermont. It’s the perfect Tadej climb."
Pogacar has already enjoyed another outstanding season in 2025, winning La Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche of the one-day races and Classics, while he has also won the Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de France.
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'Look at this!' - Superb vibes in Rwanda as historic Road World Championships get underway
Video credit: TNT Sports
How to watch the 2025 UCI Road World Championships
All the races from the 2025 UCI Road World Championships will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
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