90% of the peloton split in half, but daredevil Pidcock averted a dramatic Vuelta crash

The second stage was undoubtedly one that Pidcock had marked on his calendar, as Q36.5 controlled the breakaway group all day. The punchy finale was tailor-made for him, but when Giulio Ciccone and Vingegaard attacked, Pidcock felt his legs fade. He let it go a little and ended up in tenth place. “We weren't afraid to go for it, so hats off to the guys for that. It was a chance, but when I was passed in the last hundred meters, I knew it wasn't going to happen.”

“I was still feeling good,” said Pidcock about the run-up to the final, in which he quickly returned to a waiting peloton. “I can be pretty happy with my legs, to be honest.” Did he lose a few percent of his explosiveness in recent months due to his focused training for a Vuelta classification? “I don't really know. In principle, I always need a few days to grow into the race, that's what I always say. But yesterday (Saturday, ed.) I was actually feeling good, so I hope to raise my hands in victory somewhere in this Vuelta.”

However, the most important question after the race was not about his tenth place, but about how Pidcock had managed to avoid a lamppost at full speed. Anyone watching live on TV will have closed their eyes for a moment, but a dramatic crash was averted. “I was stuck between two wheels and saw that pole coming, so I had to jump into the grass,” said the calm daredevil who has, of course, faced much worse on downhill runs, on his mountain bike and in cyclo-cross. “I don't know if my bike is okay; it was shaking a bit.”

In the end, Pidcock got away with a jump, cushioning the impact of the dive with his arm around the lamppost. An unusual feat, as many others would probably have hit the pole hard and might now be on their way home. Pidcock just laughed when presented with that scenario. “I had to dive, and luckily I saw it coming from a distance. I knew right away that this could end badly, so the grass was a softer landing than that lamppost. Am I hurt? Not really. I feel fine at the moment.”  

Bram van der Ploeg ( Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])