{"id":254513,"date":"2026-07-24T18:49:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/i-was-dead-there-2022-alpe-dhuez-winner-tom-pidcock-suffers-badly-on-same-ascent-in-2026-tour-de-france\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T18:49:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:49:06","slug":"i-was-dead-there-2022-alpe-dhuez-winner-tom-pidcock-suffers-badly-on-same-ascent-in-2026-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/i-was-dead-there-2022-alpe-dhuez-winner-tom-pidcock-suffers-badly-on-same-ascent-in-2026-tour-de-france\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I was dead there&#8217; &#8211; 2022 Alpe d&#8217;Huez winner Tom Pidcock suffers badly on same ascent in 2026 Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-c6497728-878f-11f1-8c79-a1f197ef16d5\">The lights went out for Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) 12 kilometres from the summit of Alpe d&#8217;Huez in the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tour de France<\/a> on Friday, and he finished over eight minutes behind race leader and stage winner Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).<\/p>\n<p>Four years on from his Tour de France victory on the same climb, the Briton was forced to head into damage limitation mode, and held onto the top 10 of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-gc-standings-2026\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-gc-standings-2026\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-gc-standings-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GC standings<\/a>, slipping one place behind Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who finished third on the stage.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-c6497728-878f-11f1-8c79-a1f197ef16d5-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/tour-de-france-2022\/stage-12\/results\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/tour-de-france-2022\/stage-12\/results\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/tour-de-france-2022\/stage-12\/results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pidcock&#8217;s stage win atop Alpe d&#8217;Huez<\/a> in the 2022 Tour de France, 48 seconds ahead of the now-retired racers Louis Meintjes and four-time Tour champion Chris Froome, remains his sole stage victory in a Grand Tour. However, he has proven his abilities as a GC contender with third place in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a last year &#8211; the first podium position in a three-week stage race for the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">A repeat stage win was far from a possibility for the Briton on Friday after the remnants of a 42-rider early breakaway were caught and dropped by Tadej Poga\u010dar. Pidcock&#8217;s main task on Alpe d&#8217;Huez was to ensure his top position overall remained as intact as possible.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">His first ride up Alpe d&#8217;Huez since the 2022 victory was far from disastrous, but as he admitted in a statement released by his team on Friday evening, he was in no way feeling good either.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Part of that had been due to his fighting hard to stay with the main GC group on the climb preceding Alpe d&#8217;Huez, he said, meaning that when it came to the final ascent, he was already running on fumes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;That second last climb, I went so deep, I think I paid for that on the last climb; I was dead there,&#8221; Pidcock explained in his brief statement.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-Xy5t3XVFsKCGu4RAg8hxHd\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-Xy5t3XVFsKCGu4RAg8hxHd slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Of course I had hoped for more, but there was nothing more I had in my legs there, so it is what it is.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Overall, Pidcock has dropped one spot and is now in ninth overall, 21:30 behind race leader Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and 1:51 ahead of his closest pursuer Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies), in tenth.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-2026-stage-20-preview\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-2026-stage-20-preview\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-de-france-2026-stage-20-preview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second ascent of Alpe d&#8217;Huez on Saturday<\/a> on a much tougher day of climbing will likely shake up the GC once more. But in the meantime, and even if he had had a difficult stage, Pidcock still had words of appreciation for the huge numbers of fans on the climb &#8211; most of whom will likely be back again tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;It&#8217;s incredible,&#8221; he added, &#8220;The amount of people who come here and watch bike racing &#8211; it&#8217;s amazing, they make the atmosphere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;My thanks to everybody who comes out and makes it so magical.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/i-was-dead-there-2022-alpe-dhuez-winner-tom-pidcock-suffers-badly-on-same-ascent-in-2026-tour-de-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lights went out for Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) 12 kilometres from the summit of Alpe d&#8217;Huez in the Tour de France on Friday, and he finished over eight minutes behind race leader and stage winner Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Four years on from his Tour de France victory on the same climb, the Briton [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":254514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-254513","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}