![\"Almeida](\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2233024937.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe British superstar kicks to second to prove GC credentials: ‘This gives me confidence going into the hardest stages to come.’<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pidcock rode Almeida’s wheel much of the climb and then pipped him for second place. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Updated August 31, 2025 10:50AM<\/p>\n
VALDEZCARAY, Spain (Velo) \u2014 Tom Pidcock<\/a> vaulted up the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a> GC on Sunday after a fiery duel with Jo\u00e3o Almeida and a brutal mountain finish dominated by Jonas Vingegaard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tempers flared as the pair chased Vingegaard\u2019s rooster-tail up the surprisingly decisive GC stage to close out the Vuelta\u2019s first week.<\/p>\n Pidcock clung to Almeida\u2019s wheel in the rain-lashed finale to Valdezcaray before out-sprinting UAE\u2019s Portuguese captain for second place.<\/p>\n \u201cJo\u00e3o told me to grow some balls,\u201d Pidcock said with a laugh. \u201c If he rides a bit slower, I\u2019ll give him some more turns.\u201d<\/p>\n Vingegaard detonated the GC group with a searing attack near the bottom in a move few had expected on a stage everyone circled for the breakaway.<\/p>\n When a five-rider break, including American Kevin Vermaerke, couldn\u2019t open up too much headway, teams like Lidl-Trek and Pidcock\u2019s Q36.5 Pro Cycling turned up the volume. Visma-Lease a Bike piled on to set up Vingegaard for the Dane\u2019s second stage win of this Vuelta.<\/p>\n After Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) flamed out, all eyes were on Pidcock and Almeida, who emerged as the only two with legs who could muster a chase.<\/p>\n Pidcock rode Almeida\u2019s wheel much of the grinding climb that leveled out as it neared the summit, and the Portuguese rider finally had a few choice words for the wheel-sucking Brit.<\/p>\n Pidcock didn\u2019t return any favors and kicked ahead to second and the time bonuses that came with it.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t give him any turns and he was shouting at me,\u201d Pidcock said as he shivered after the rain-soaked stage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s like a tractor when we got up to this flatter section,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last \u2018K\u2019 when he went, it was impressive. I could only come around him at the finish. I am happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Pidcock: \u2018This gives me confidence for what\u2019s to come\u2019 Pidcock\u2019s second place rockets him up in the GC into fourth overall in the biggest confirmation yet that the two-time Olympic mountain bike gold medalist could challenge for the top-10 and more in this Vuelta.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really good. When Jonas went, it was so difficult to follow, especially when it\u2019s four teammates between you and him,\u201d Pidcock said. \u201cI got up to Almeida and it was a good wheel, but we couldn\u2019t get back.\u201d<\/p>\n The British superstar came in with unproven GC credentials, but he\u2019s quickly revealing he can stay with the best in the peloton.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really good for the GC,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would have been nice to have won the stage, but Jonas is Jonas. We couldn\u2019t close that gap, so I can be happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Pidcock now heads into Monday\u2019s rest day as one of the Vuelta\u2019s revelations.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy. It\u2019s difficult to know fully what my capabilities are. It gives me confidence going into the hardest stages to come,\u201d Pidcock said. \u201c It\u2019s a long way to go. We\u2019re not taking too many conclusions yet.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The British superstar kicks to second to prove GC credentials: ‘This gives me confidence going into the hardest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,54263,82,62507,62999,56905,54267],"class_list":["post-111497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-parent_category-road","tag-sports","tag-tag-joao-almeida","tag-tag-tom-pidcock","tag-tag-vuelta-a-espana","tag-type-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"Pidcock\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2233019850-720x554.jpg\")
Pidcock climbed into fourth overall. (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n