For all his success, Tom Pidcock has never finished in the top 10 overall at a Grand Tour. This is what he overtly came to this Vuelta a España to do, to take aim at a high finish on general classification in his second Grand Tour this season.
In fact, Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s Pidcock has never been higher than fifth on GC mid-race at a Grand Tour, something which has changed this week with the 26-year-old up to fourth overall. While he is almost a minute behind red jersey Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), it has been a very promising opening 10 days.
Sunday’s stage nine was only the third time that the man from Leeds has finished in the top two on a Grand Tour stage, after his famous win on Alpe d’Huez three years ago at the Tour de France, and the gravel stage in the same race last year.
“The start was super fast, but it wasn’t that hard in the wheels to be honest,” he explained. “There are a lot of tired bodies, you can see that by the size of the peloton. The climb was pretty tough but it wasn’t too bad in the end.
“We knew that the Giro was a probability, but I said I wouldn’t change my plans, I’d do the Classics and the Ardennes and whatever,” Pidcock said. “I didn’t want to sacrifice any of that. The Giro was too much I think, I was not fresh, I was not ready, but here’s different.”
Wednesday sees a Classics-style stage around Bilbao, which would typically suit the Q36.5 rider. “I looked at it a bit, I don’t know it fully. I think it’s going to be a hard one, that’s for sure,” he predicted.
Explore More
