🎥 Pidcock "had no respect for the race" but learns from his mistakes with a bunny hop in Ruta del Sol

On Wednesday, in the first stage in Andalusia, Pidcock essentially tried the same thing as he did a day later. He put his Q36.5 teammates to work and launched an attack. However, he ran into his limits and was outmatched by, among others, stage winner Maxim Van Gils. "Nice reality check," the Brit called it afterward on his Instagram page. "A little too enthusiastic today. Great support from the boys out there today, we go again tomorrow."

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And so it happened. Pidcock saw the race explode early in stage two, with general classification contenders already going on the offensive. Q36.5 stayed calm and used the final climb of the day to push full gas. Pidcock eventually bridged across to the front group and won the sprint from the five remaining leaders. "Yesterday, I was too ambitious and went too early. I had no respect for the race and the course," he analyzed his mistakes.

This time, things went better. "I paid for it in the finale, which was unfortunate. But I learned a valuable lesson and, in the end, I also had fun. So, it wasn’t that bad. Today, I played it smart, and the tactics worked. It’s an amazing feeling to raise my hands in the air again. The team gave everything for me, and I’m glad I could repay them."

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The fact that Pidcock was happy with the victory was evident in his celebration. After crossing the line in style with both hands in the air, he added a touch of flair by bunny hopping over a speed bump. Many riders would have ended up eating the asphalt, but Pidcock casually flicked his bike to the side, reminiscent of Mathieu van der Poel at his best in cyclo-cross.

In the coming days, Pidcock may achieve even more in Spain. Thanks to his stage win, he has climbed to third place overall, 32 seconds behind new leader Pavel Sivakov (UAE). Friday is expected to favor the punchers, Saturday has a flat finish, and Sunday concludes with another flat finish after a hilly opening section.