From 'worst day on a bike ever' to stage winner in five days: Pidcock's remarkable Tour of the Alps

Anyone who heard Tom Pidcock talking after stage one of the Tour of the Alps on Monday would not have given him much hope the week. After finishing second on day one — a result he himself described as "the worst day on the bike ever" — the 26-year-old Pinarello-Q36.5 rider fought back. He won a stage and attacked again on the final day. IDL Pro Cycling caught up with him at the finish.

The story Pidcock wrote across five days at the Tour of the Alps is remarkable. The Sunday before the race, he had come across as quietly ambitious — talking about three weeks of rest, rehabilitation and training following a crash into a ravine at the Tour of Catalonia that left his knee significantly injured.

On day one, Pidcock appeared on track, finishing second in a flat bunch sprint — not his natural terrain. But his reaction afterwards was telling: "This was really the worst day, awful, terrible. It felt like we were going full gas on every climb. This was the worst day on the bike I've ever had."

On stage two, Pidcock lost almost seven minutes in a punchy finish — a stage he might well have won in pre-crash form. The team had work to do to get him back in the right headspace. "The realisation came quickly that we are racing at a very high level, and that this situation is completely normal at this point," said coach Kurt Bogaerts.

Stage three didn't start well either — Pidcock was dropped on the day's first climb. But with his coach's words in the back of his mind, he came back through the peloton, put his team on the front, rode through the pain barrier and won the stage in a sprint from a reduced group. It was a remarkable turnaround.

He said the win might have meant even more to him than his victories earlier in the season — including Milan-Turin — when his legs had felt exceptional. "It's difficult to switch and still find enjoyment in it when things are going well," he said. "It's not comfortable, but that's precisely what makes it more satisfying to finish it off." He also added: "I just have to enjoy it now, and whatever happens, happens."

After also trying to engineer a sprint finish for his team on the penultimate day, Pidcock slipped into the day's breakaway on the final stage. On two brutal climbs in the finale, he whittled the front group down to two early escapees — but in the peloton, stage and overall winner Giulio Pellizzari had his sights firmly set on the double.

Pidcock didn't let it affect his mood. Talking to IDL Pro Cycling at the finish line, he was in excellent spirits. "I actually felt quite good. Every day got better. It wasn't that hard to get into the breakaway, but in the finale I just didn't quite have the legs to stay at the front. But I can be happy with this."

So what did the five days in the Tour of the Alps actually give him, in terms of progress? Pidcock laughed. "I think I gained more than fifty per cent over this week. On the first day I would probably have been dropped on the first climb, haha. But Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday is completely different — it will be harder. But let's see. As long as we're racing, it's okay."