Pidcock doesn't waste any time and aims to score on two fronts, Bernal with a "free role" in Tour

Pidcock was the clearest of the duo. Leading up to the Tour, he openly expressed doubts about his ambitions, but on Wednesday, there wasn't even a whiff of uncertainty. "I want to be on the hunt for stage victories as well as make strides in competing for the general classification," stated the British rider. "Personally, my main focus is on the stages, but I'll still keep an eye on the general classification. Moreover, I want to win from the group of favorites, not from a breakaway. That way, I automatically stay in contention for the overall ranking."

Those mountains continue to attract the versatile INEOS Grenadiers leader, that much is clear. "I would like to improve my performance in the mountains, so I hope to see progress in that area. Being lightweight, it should suit me. And that is what I want to set out to discover in the next three weeks, but for now, my focus is on the stages in the Basque Country," he said.

"Maybe some GC contenders will lose time, but I don't expect any big differences," Pidcock continued, referring to the opening stages in northern Spain. "I envision a small group with little organization going over those climbs. And that presents opportunities for riders who want to give it a try. However, maybe I don't have enough experience for that yet, so these types of questions are hard to answer."

"I'm in good shape, I think," the part-time mountain biker replied when he was doing at the moment. "Switzerland was a little bit weird, because I had just come down from altitude. I wasn't as far along as I had hoped, but during the training leading up to the Tour, things started to head back in the right direction. In any case, I'm doing better than last year when I was knocked down by COVID-19."

With an abundance of Colombian journalists present, Pidcock was also asked about his teammate Bernal, whom he spoke highly of. "For Egan, it shouldn't really matter how this race goes; it's already a victory that he's here after his crash." When another South American followed up with a question about how he keeps Bernal happy, Pidcock responded humorously. "Tell him he's not shit," he replied calmly.

The fact that Bernal had endured quite a journey, was evident once again on Wednesday. And it's still a miracle that he's even here now. "Before the Dauphiné, I thought I would be on vacation right now. I had many doubts about participating in the Tour, but during that preparation race, I felt good. Of course, it's a great honor to be at the starting line here."

He does not want to think about any classification ambitions a few days before the start. "My goal is not to lose any time in the first few days; then I'll assess how I feel and where I stand. I have a free role in the team, so we can decide at a later time what the exact goal is going to be. To be honest, I can't answer questions about my ambition at the moment," he responded understandably, though he did mention the names of his teammates Pidcock and Carlos Rodríguez to keep an eye on.

"These have been tough years, but I think I can be grateful that I can give this press conference and start the Tour on Saturday," Bernal said, drawing inspiration from the performances he delivered before his injury. "I would love to return to the level of 2019 and compete against the top names. I want to compare myself to them; that's why I give everything every day to bring out the best in myself."

In the end, he did reveal one goal: to finish. "It would be amazing to reach Paris; it would be my first Grand Tour that I manage to finish after my crash. Maybe then I can still ride the Vuelta. That would be a great ambition for me to further strengthen myself," the visibly humble Colombian added.