Being in the Tour de France peloton for the first time in your career means a very steep learning curve, even for a third-year pro like Laurence Pithie, but New Zealand’s sole rider in this year’s race has already found some key reference points – like a certain Tadej Pogačar.
“He’s really good at positioning in the peloton,” Pithie told reporters at the end of the Tour’s second week. “If you are anywhere near him, you know you’re in the right place to be.”
For the 23-year-old Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe pro, getting to know who is a good wheel to be close to – and who isn’t – is actually critical to his ‘day-job’ in the Tour. Much of it consists of looking after Red Bull GC duo Primož Roglič and Florian Lipowitz, currently running sixth and third overall, in the pack.
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“It’s all about Primož and Lipo, staying in front or behind them, helping them and supporting them,” Pithie say. “It’s a real honour to ride for such good guys.”
The Tour is also a step up, he says, from his sole previous Grand Tour participation, in the Giro d’Italia last year.
“It’s completely different. The Giro is much more relaxed, and the peloton goes a bit slower there.
“It’s been difficult, but I’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve done some nice climbs in the Pyrenees, and they’re pretty iconic, also.
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“I’m not suffering as much as I was in the Giro, so I can enjoy the climbs a bit more.”
While Roglič is a very familiar face in the Tour’s GC battles, he was not at all surprised, he says, that Lipowitz has managed to step up as well and hold his own against much more well-established stars.
“He’s been good all year. In Paris-Nice, he got second, in the [Critérium du] Dauphiné, he was third.
“The Dauphiné is almost the same level of competition, so it’s a matter of being able to hold your form or get a little bit better, and he’s certainly done that. It’s really impressive.”
Regarding Roglič, while the Slovenian has absolutely nothing to prove in a Grand Tour at this point in his career, Pithie also highlights the veteran racer’s fine sense of humour, saying he makes “good jokes” and is enjoyable to be around.
The question of where Red Bull go from here in the third week, he says, is very much to maintain the status quo at least, given the goal was always to get a top three in Paris.
According to Pithie, there is no change in the team’s original idea, too, that Roglič will be working for his own GC goals, rather than making Lipowitz’s third place the top priority.
“It’s still a long final week in the Alps, so we’ll keep them both protected and help them both as much as possible.
“We’ve done well so far, but anything can happen in the mountains, so it’s best to have them both there [on GC].
“This is a really big race for us. Step by step, we’re heading in the right direction. The goal is to be on the podium, so right now it’s just about that – and staying out of trouble.”
Apart from enjoying making his own Tour debut, Pithie is also the only New Zealander in this year’s race, and he’s notably proud to have the chance to represent his country in cycling’s biggest bike race.
“It’s superspecial, it’s a real honour to be here. I always dreamed to be here,” he says.
“It would be nice to have some Kiwi colleagues but also I’m getting a lot of [spectator] support on the road from the Kiwis out there. So it’s super special being the only one.”
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