'Tom was the first to raise his hand' – why is Tom Pidcock going to train in Chile this month?
The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider and six of his teammates are heading to South America
Forget Tenerife and Mallorca, Tom Pidcock and his Pinarello-Q36.5 teammates are heading to South America for their pre-season altitude training camp this year.
Seven of the team’s riders, including Brits Pidcock, Fred Wright and Tom Gloag, will travel to Chile at the end of this week ahead of the 2026 road campaign.
In an interview with Belgian outlet Sporza, Pinarello-Q36.5 sports director Kurt Bogaerts explained the country was a “well-considered choice” by the team.
“It all has to do with the climate,” Bogaerts, Pidcock’s long-term coach, said. “The weather is beautiful there and it's a new environment."
January is typically sunny and dry in the mountains of northern Chile, where the team will be based for nearly a month, with temperatures between 20-30°C.
Teams tend to visit European locations for their pre-season camps; Spain and the Canary Islands are popular choices.
Asked why Pinarello-Q36.5 have opted to go further afield, Bogaerts said: "In the Sierra Nevada [southern Spain], for example, there was a huge amount of snow this winter. You have to drive down to the valley every day, and that's not exactly fun either."
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He added that Tenerife was also ruled out because “most riders have already seen Mount Teide from the inside and out. You have to cycle up that same climb every time, which makes it mentally tough."
Alongside Pidcock, Gloag and Wright, three Belgian riders will be part of the trip to Chile – Brent Van Moer, Xandro Meurisse and Quinten Hermans – as well as Swiss rider Fabio Christen.
"Tom [Pidcock] was the first to raise his hand. He even pushed me even harder to get it done,” Bogaerts told Sporza.
According to the sports director, the Olympic mountain bike champion has also asked to bring off-road tyres so he can stray from the tarmac.
“We've been working on performance at a high level all season long. But sometimes we forget that it also has to be fun. That's why I'm happy to hear that the riders are looking forward to that altitude training camp,” Bogaerts said.
As one of the top-ranked UCI ProTeams, Pinarello-Q36.5 are expected to gain automatic invitations to all three Grand Tours this season, including the Tour de France, and all other WorldTour events. Last year, the team earned its highest ever Grand Tour result thanks to Pidcock’s third place at the Vuelta a España.
Pinarello-Q36.5 are owned by South African billionaire Ivan Glasenberg, who holds significant investments in the brands Pinarello and Q36.5.
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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