There’s something different about Tom Pidcock at this Vuelta a España. It’s not just the tenacity, the best-ever general classification performance or the improved climbing legs, but a relaxed demeanour. It belies the fact that he might be under more pressure than ever; never before has the 26-year-old been this high up overall at a Grand Tour, and for a fifth day in a row he maintained it.
It wasn’t just on any stage, either, but on stage 13, which finished on the Alto de L’Angliru, 12.4km at 9.7%, but with more than 5km over 11%. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
“It’s a hard climb innit,” Pidcock of Q36.5 Pro Cycling said at the finish. “It was super tough. Finding the rhythm there it’s unforgiving, at the start I was ok, but I knew I couldn’t continue that pace to the top. I think everyone slowed down, I think I only lost a minute and 20 or something. I just tried to do my own pace, but you can’t really, [I was] just fighting the whole way up, you don’t really get in a rhythm.:
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“Not bad, I didn’t lose too much time,” Pidcock said of his day. “I’d have liked to be at the front, but we’ve also got to be realistic, I think I did pretty good.
“I think I did a pretty good effort considering how long it was, but yeah I’ve broken numerous power records at this Vuelta, up to 20 minutes, half an hour.”
This is a big learning experience, but also encouraging for the remaining tests. “I’m recovering pretty well, obviously it’s getting late in the race, so it’s taking its toll,” he concluded.
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