A very realistic yet still hungry Tom Pidcock admits the Angliru, and Van Baarle (Visma), broke him

After first catching his breath for several minutes against a pillar, Pidcock was able to explain a few things to Eurosport, among others. “A tough climb, huh?” he laughed, wearing his sunglasses. When he took them off, everyone could see that his eyes were a little deeper in their sockets. “It was really super tough. It's challenging to find your rhythm.”

Pidcock saw it coming when he had to drop back early from the favorites, who were still about eight strong at the time. “I felt good at the foot, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up that pace. In the end, everyone slowed down a bit, because I think I only lost a little over a minute or so.”

The Angliru was the first climb where Pidcock showed some signs of weakness. The Brit had been so impressive in the first uphill finishes and even dropped Jonas Vingegaard briefly in the chaotic finale in Bilbao. On the Angliru, it was different, steeper, longer, and harder. “You try to ride your own pace, but that was almost impossible.”‘

Whether such a mythical climb says anything about the rest of the Vuelta is a good question, according to Pidcock. Because what lies ahead is very different in terms of profile. “Of course, this says something, but there is still a lot to come. Hindley is strong, and Gall is always good on these kinds of climbs. I would have liked to have been in the front group, but in the end, I didn't lose much time.”

These were realistic words from Pidcock, who proved himself equal to João Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard in the first two weeks, but is perhaps slightly behind them. Not surprising for someone who had never finished in the top ten of a Grand Tour before this Vuelta. “It wasn't bad. We have to remain realistic, I did well,” he said.

The fact that Pidcock kept riding and even overtook a few riders was, in his opinion, a promising sign. “I estimated the length of the climb well and managed it. I'm also recovering quite well, even though this Vuelta is getting longer and longer. It was just a tough day, with Dylan (van Baarle of Visma | Lease a Bike, ed.) hurting us all in the first few hours.”

Despite losing 1 minute and 16 seconds, Pidcock remains third in this Vuelta, now 2 minutes and 18 seconds behind the leader, Vingegaard. Number four, Jai Hindley, has closed the gap to 42 seconds.