Tom Pidcock openly admits after victory: “Yes, I was frustrated”

Pidcock made his move on the final climb and ultimately finished ten seconds ahead of UAE Team Emirates–XRG rider Jan Christen. Romain Grégoire (Groupama–FDJ) completed the podium in third. The stage win also lifted Pidcock to third overall in the general classification of the race, which was won by Iván Romeo (Movistar).

“I knew today was gonna be tricky because the climb was so fast,” Pidcock said afterwards via team channels. He explained that the ascent was ridden at over 30 km/h on average and that he chose the steepest, hardest point to commit: once he attacked, Christen followed briefly, but Pidcock managed to open a gap and hold it all the way to the line.

Pidcock has looked sharp early in the season, having already placed third at the Vuelta a Murcia and second at the Clásica Jaén.

With Pidcock, winning is what counts — and he did not hide how much the near-misses had been eating at him. “Yesterday I was getting really frustrated… we trained so hard this winter,” he admitted, referencing the major commitment his programme has included, such as an altitude block in Chile.

That work is starting to show, but Pidcock also pointed to missed chances during the week. In his view, the team misjudged aspects of the parcours and let the GC slip on one day — something that left him annoyed because the opportunities were there.

On Sunday, though, the reset was immediate. “Today we took it. The team was great,” Pidcock concluded, saying the victory made the effort and setbacks worthwhile.