Pidcock impresses, but Almeida lashes out: “He told me to be braver”

Tom Pidcock enjoyed a strong day on a stage that was relatively flat with a manageable final climb but Jonas Vingegaard ultimately spoiled the British rider’s hopes of victory. The Q36.5 team leader still impressed by climbing to Valdezcaray and securing second place after chasing with João Almeida, keeping himself well-positioned in the general classification.

Pidcock admitted he had been eyeing the stage as a real opportunity. “I felt really good,” he explained afterwards. But when Vingegaard made his move, the Brit couldn’t respond. “When Jonas and Ciccone attacked, it was too hard to stay with them. Jonas always has teammates covering him, and Trek controlled the pace. I figured Almeida’s wheel was the best to follow—we had a chance to close the gap.”

They briefly came within seven seconds but ultimately fell back. Almeida pushed the pace relentlessly, forcing Pidcock to simply hang on. “Credit to him. I couldn’t contribute much, and he was shouting at me, but he’s like a machine. On the flat and in the last kilometer, I barely managed to stay with him. Honestly, I’m satisfied.”

At one point Almeida barked at Pidcock to do more work. “He told me to grow some balls,” Pidcock recalled with a laugh. “I told him, ‘If you go a bit slower, I can take turns too.’” The two eventually crossed the finish line 24 seconds behind Vingegaard, but with over a minute’s advantage on the rest of their rivals.

That result puts Pidcock fourth overall, 1:35 behind leader Torstein Traeen. “Of course we wanted to win, but Jonas is Jonas, you can’t give him an inch. Still, I’m pleased. It’s not always easy to judge my limits, but this performance gives me confidence for the harder stages to come.”

Q36.5 and Lidl-Trek had shared the work of reeling in the break, showing their full commitment to supporting Pidcock. “They’re completely behind me, and I’m really grateful. It’s a great team, and we’re enjoying ourselves. We know we have to grab every chance at the Grand Tours.”

While Pidcock shone, Giulio Ciccone lost ground despite his teammates’ efforts, and others who had shown aggression earlier in the race also faded. “I saw them going full gas halfway up the climbs, and I thought they’d pay for it later,” Pidcock noted. “But it’s still early there’s a long way to go, so no conclusions yet.”