Disappointed Tom Pidcock breaks the taboo in Vuelta: "It is a bit scary sometimes in the peloton"

Pidcock launched a blistering attack on the Pike and rode away from the competition, but by then it had already been announced that the finish area wasn’t safe enough and that there would be no stage winner. Times were instead recorded 3 kilometers before the line, but for the Brit that was little more than a consolation prize.

Pidcock still crossed the finish line, alone. A protest of his own? "I was just doing a Tom Pidcock thing, innit? But, no, I knew the finish line was at 3K, but I actually didn't know when 3K was. I was too busy rotating with Jonas. I think Vuelta did what they could, the organization, to keep us safe. I don’t want to say anything political. I’m going to get in trouble."

“To be honest, it’s hard to put my disappointment into words,” Q36.5 leader Tom Pidcock told his team bus and TNT Sports. “I felt like today was my day. I feel like, there should always be a finish line. We're not riding sportive, are we?", he said, scratching his head.

Pidcock could at least take away the fact that he dropped Vingegaard, but he also doesn’t know what the coming days will bring in light of the current situation. “I think a lot of people have, held back from talking about it publicly, but it is a bit scary sometimes in the peloton. But, I think as long as our safety is first and, you know, we can continue racing, and that's what we're here to do."

“I think bike racing's got nothing to do with what's happening over there. Putting us in danger isn’t going to help your cause. That simply isn’t going to help what they're protesting for. Everyone’s got the right to protest whatever they want. But, putting us in danger is not the way forward. From what I was told, today was going to be the biggest day of protesters. So, I think from now on it might be better,” he said in Bilbao. 

"I think a lot of people talk about what's on paper, not saying I would have won, but I had a good chance to win. And it’s a disappointment, but don't want to waste any energy on it. We've got a long way to go,” the Brit concluded.