Far from Fleche Wallonne, Tom Pidcock takes a great win, but post-race analysis is even better

The emotional rollercoaster Tom Pidcock has been through over the past four weeks is almost impossible to comprehend. From peak form he fell into a condition where a surprisingly quick return at the Tour of the Alps left him unable to even hold the peloton. Yet on Wednesday he won stage three, driven by the kind of mindset that defines the very best in this sport.

Pidcock should actually have been in Belgium on Wednesday, battling the best punchers at La Flèche Wallonne. Instead he is riding out kilometres at the Tour of the Alps, after crashing into a ravine at the Volta a Catalunya and spending eleven days off the bike. Part of him had hoped he would be in reasonable shape for the five-day stage race, but that proved not to be the case.

On the opening day in Innsbruck, the 26-year-old Pinarello-Q36.5 rider sprinted to second place but afterwards described it as "the worst day ever on a bike." A day later he lost seven minutes on the first mountain-top finish. Then came Wednesday — a stage win, from what turned out to be a bizarre ride, sealed with a winning sprint. IDL Pro Cycling caught up with Pidcock after the stage.

"This win feels really great. On the first climb I was basically dropped, but I just made it over the top. I then told my teammates that after the second climb of the day we would go full gas for the win. I gave everything, even though I had very little confidence after everything that's happened."

"That's precisely what makes this win more special than some others — and because the boys committed to me one hundred percent. That was incredible, because it wasn't a given that I'd still be there in the finale to finish it off. Red Bull also kept riding, even though they'd already defended Pellizzari's leader's jersey. That helped too."

"When I saw the signs for the last corner, we were going into a bend. I thought that was the last one, so I started my sprint because I wanted to be first through it. I didn't want to get boxed in — but yes, I did go too early. In the end it didn't matter."

"Oh, definitely. On the first stage I had the worst feeling I can ever remember having on a bike. I finished second, but that result told you nothing about what was actually happening that day. Every day it gets a little better and I gain a bit more confidence, even though the road back to top form is still long. I hope I can stay with the front group over the next two days — that would be something."

"The recovery went reasonably smoothly in some ways. I couldn't do much at first — it just took time. But once I was back training I felt fairly okay. That obviously wasn't how I felt before the crash, and in racing it felt completely different. I'm suffering out there."

"It's mentally incredibly tough. In recent races I was one of the strongest men in the field and in genuinely great form. With that form, a day like today would have been relatively straightforward — but now I was suffering and nearly got dropped on the first climb. It's difficult to switch and still find any enjoyment in it. It's not comfortable, but that's exactly what makes it more satisfying to see it through."

"For me, it shows first and foremost how much we have to give for this sport — people perhaps don't always appreciate that. We put so much in to go as fast as we go. Ten days off the bike might not feel like a long time to a normal person, but I genuinely feel pretty shit because of it. It was simply too long a period."

"On the other hand, all the pressure is off now. I just have to enjoy it and whatever comes out of it, comes out of it. In the end, you have to take on the small challenges in life. For me, the first challenge today was to come back to the peloton after that first climb. You change your mindset and think about other ways to still make it count."

"No, not really. It is what it is. My teammate Damien (Howson, ed.) also crashed today, and when that happens there's not much point in getting angry. It's happened, so you move on and get better. Getting frustrated would be a waste of energy."

"Phew, that'll be tough. I never expected to genuinely compete for the win at Liège, but I was hoping to be good enough to score some UCI points for the team. That matters too, even if I'd rather be going for the win. I have to be realistic that we need the points, so we'll see."

"If I'm even just a little bit okay on Sunday, I think I can still enjoy it. We head to Liège on Friday after the race, and not being in contention for the overall actually makes it easier to make decisions."

"Yes, definitely! I also wanted to keep the same programme. In principle I would have had a week off after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but that will now be shorter. The races I'm doing now are at least going into the nervous system that way."