Representing Great Britain, the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader was consistently among the protagonists on a demanding 273.7-kilometre course from Brossard to Montréal, featuring 3,803 metres of climbing before entering the 13.4-kilometre circuit around Mount Royal.

The Team colours were already represented at the front of the race long before the battle for the rainbow jersey exploded.

Latvian Champion Emīls Liepiņš was part of the 16-rider breakaway that established itself during the opening phase of the race and built an advantage of more than seven minutes.

As the race entered Montréal and the pace intensified on the repeated climbs of Camillien-Houde, the original break began to fragment. Liepiņš remained among the strongest riders at the front as the group was reduced to six, alongside Andreas Leknessund, Felix Engelhardt, Biniam Girmay, Henok Mulubrhan and Jamie Meehan.

It was eventually reduced to four — Liepiņš, Leknessund, Mulubrhan and Meehan — before the peloton finally brought the move back with around 105 kilometres remaining.

From there, the fight between the World Championship favourites began.

Pidcock’s challenge was made significantly harder by a crash later in the race, forcing him into a bike change and a demanding chase back through the convoy.

At precisely the moment the race began to explode, Pidcock had to work his way back into contention.

He did exactly that.

Once reconnected, the British rider quickly returned to the sharp end of the race and became one of its most aggressive protagonists, repeatedly testing a group containing many of the strongest one-day racers in the world.

The decisive move eventually came from Brandon McNulty. The American attacked with 32 kilometres remaining and quickly established a significant advantage as the favourites marked and countered each other behind.

Pidcock refused to settle.

Across the final two laps, he launched attack after attack from the chasing group, forcing selections and repeatedly putting his rivals under pressure.

On the final ascent of Camillien-Houde, another powerful acceleration put Pidcock at the heart of the chase as McNulty’s advantage was dramatically reduced.

The junction came close, but was never made.

McNulty held on to claim the rainbow jersey, 13 seconds ahead of Michael Matthews and Mathieu van der Poel. Pidcock crossed the line seventh, just 14 seconds behind the new World Champion.

The result only tells part of the story.

After more than six hours of racing, a crash, a bike change and a chase back, Pidcock was still attacking for the World Championship in the final kilometres.

Tom Pidcock:

“The crash definitely didn’t help. There was a bit of a chase but, no, tactically it was very difficult in the end.

“I think I had really good legs, honestly. But to make the difference, to get the gap, with the wind the way it was and with the USA team, with Matteo Jorgenson — he was strong once Brandon attacked — and obviously Isaac as well on the same team, it was always going to be super difficult to make a difference there in the end after six hours.

“So yeah, I’m a bit disappointed, honestly. But again, yeah, I think I’ve been really happy with my legs and there are more years to try.”

Asked whether he had any regrets after repeatedly trying to break the tactical deadlock in the finale, Pidcock was clear:

“No, I mean, there isn’t much more I could have done, I think.

“Yeah, it was really difficult. No one wanted to work together in that group and, yeah, to wait and just gamble it all on the last lap or to try something… I think it was difficult.

“I don’t think I have any regrets. I mean, I did what I could.”

Pidcock leaves Montréal without the rainbow jersey he came to fight for, but with another major performance in a season that has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to compete at the sharp end of the world’s biggest one-day races.

From Liepiņš flying the Team flag in the day’s long breakaway to Pidcock attacking for the rainbow jersey deep into the finale, the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team was represented at the front of the World Championship from its opening phase to its decisive kilometres.