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Tom Pidcock claims second at Strade Bianche.
The white roads of Tuscany never fail to deliver an incredible spectacle, and Strade Bianche 2025 was no exception. Tom Pidcock played a leading role in the drama, securing second place and earning Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team its first WorldTour podium of the season and second-ever in history—following Alessandro Fedeli’s podium at Eschborn-Frankfurt 2023.
8 March 2025.
Pidcock made the first decisive move at 78.5 kilometers to go, accelerating passed Tim Wellens, with only Tadej PogaÄŤar joining. The two, both former winners of this race, stayed together until the world champion crashed heavily. After a few kilometers, Tom strategically waited, allowing PogaÄŤar to regroup, and they continued the battle together.
On the second-to-last gravel sector, Pogačar launched his signature attack, and Pidcock was unable to follow. Despite this, he fought hard all the way to Via Santa Caterina in Siena, securing a remarkable second-place finish. His consistency in this race is undeniable—Pidcock has now placed 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th in his four participations at Strade Bianche.
Tom Pidcock reacted: “I didn’t do anything wrong today, so this is the best result. To be honest I did a really good ride and one of my best performances ever. I was feeling comfortable in the peloton so I thought that when I attacked, I could take away the element of surprise, and it worked.
"I didn’t do anything wrong today, so this is the best result."
When Tadej crashed it looked quite bad at first, so I am glad he is okay. We were going very fast at that point. The moment I heard he was back on his bike I decided to wait. It’s good to continue together. It is important to ride with respect and dignity and that’s not how you take advantage in races.
It’s bittersweet result but I did the best I could and a good shot. Now it’s time to recover because it was a big day and Tirreno Adriatico is coming fast”
Though disappointed at missing out on victory, pride in the team’s performance was the overriding emotion. General manager Doug Ryder reacted directly after the finish:
“It means a lot to us and to Tom because it’s one of his favorite races, but it also means a lot to see the journey we are on as a team. All the staff who worked hard to make this happen. Tom is a world class rider. He took responsibility in racing with Tadej and waiting when he crashed. This result lifts the whole team: for the current riders, our staff and for the future. We are ambitious and for everyone involved this is just amazing. I am super happy for us and for him. It shows we are going in the right direction, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Mark Donovan, a Strade Bianche specialist for Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, once again showcased his skills on the white roads. In his third consecutive appearance, the British rider made it into the day’s breakaway of ten riders, proving to be one of the strongest in the group.
Mark Donovan reacted: “It was the plan to be in the breakaway and I was just like last year. In this race it’s good to have someone ahead and especially when it’s a bigger group like today. The race then comes to you. It’s crazy in the bunch and you never know what happens. I was happy to be ahead because I didn’t feel amazing today. I wished I could have done a bit more for Tom, but they went so fast when they caught us. I only managed to give him some water and food.”
With Pidcock’s second-place finish, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team celebrates its first WorldTour podium of 2025 and second in history, On the same day the team celebrated its seventh win of the season in Belgium where Matteo Moschetti wins GP Criquielion. It’s an understatement to say it’s been quite the day.
"Tom is a world class rider. He took responsibility in racing with Tadej and waiting when he crashed. This result lifts the whole team: for the current riders, our staff and for the future."
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