Revelation Pithie on "Covid contact" with Jumbo-Visma, his "guts" and his goals for the Giro

Victories in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, wearing the leader's jersey in Paris-Nice, fifteenth in Milan-San Remo, seventh in Paris-Roubaix, and also competing strongly in major races like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Gent-Wevelgem: Pithie has made his presence known in recent months. ‘It was a very good classics season. I missed just that extra something at the critical moments in the races now and then, but I think I can be satisfied. There’s still room to improve, but I must admit I surprised myself.’

Not only the results have helped Pithie, he says he's gained valuable insights too. Like what? "Not to get too excited during races," he points out. "Riding with top-tier cyclists, you learn to hold back a bit and not reveal your full strength. That’s something I can perhaps pay more attention to, that I can ride more calmly in the finals. Since I was so close, I can learn and observe how they approach the races. So far, I haven’t been able to stay with the leaders till the finish yet, but hopefully, that’s something that will happen in the future."

That’s something that should be achievable over the years, says the friendly young man from New Zealand. "I haven’t done the classics before, so perhaps I’m just missing that extra kick. Races like the Tour of Flanders are very long and it’s full throttle all the time, so those are races where endurance is crucial, in addition to explosiveness, which I do have. I still need to learn that dynamic, but I was very enthusiastic about it too."

For next year, his name is closely linked with the German team BORA-hansgrohe, but a few years ago, he nearly joined a Dutch team. "After the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships, I had contact with Robbert de Groot from the Jumbo-Visma development team. Consequently, I could have raced my last year as a junior with WV De Jonge Renner, and I even spent a week in Zeeland, but then COVID-19 appeared, and I returned to New Zealand. If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, I might have ended up riding for that team and joined the Jumbo-Visma development squad. But it wasn’t meant to be," laughs the easy-going Pithie.

In his first grand tour, he is set to compete against the formidable Olav Kooij, with whom he has already contested stage victories in Paris-Nice. "A super strong guy who can sprint fast and will have a good lead-out at his side," Pithie says when asked about the Dutchman from Visma | Lease a Bike. "He's a bit older than I am, so I have another year to catch up."

Pithie is certainly not intimidated by the competition, nor is he daunted by his first three-week stage race. "I'm looking forward to racing against Olav and everyone else in the Giro. I’m not going to Italy just to learn; I have ambitious goals: to win a stage, that’s what I’d like to achieve," the sprinter cum puncher expresses his determination for his Giro debut.