Tom Pidcock Anticipates Exciting Finish in Vuelta a España

Tom Pidcock, competing for Q36.5, has described the first week of the Vuelta a España as “uneventful” but remains optimistic about the forthcoming stages, suggesting that “big fireworks” are expected in the race’s second and third weeks. After eight stages, Pidcock is currently positioned 11th overall in the General Classification (GC), just 30 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike, who is a leading contender for the title.

The early stages saw Pidcock managing the climbing challenges effectively. Despite this, he noted that the intense competition and strategic racing have left much of the action feeling subdued. Torstein Træen of Bahrain-Victorious leads the pack, holding a significant advantage of over two and a half minutes, primarily gained during a breakaway in stage 6.

As Pidcock spoke with reporters in Monzón ahead of stage 8, he reflected on the previous mountain stages. “Andorra was hard, but yesterday [on stage 7] the climb was not really hard enough,” he remarked. He expressed anticipation for the critical stages ahead, particularly those in Bilbao on stage 11 and the challenging Angliru two days later.

“People are racing smart,” Pidcock stated, acknowledging the tactical approaches taken by teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates-XRG. He noted the importance of preserving energy on less steep finishes, where significant time differences are difficult to achieve.

UAE Emirates-XRG has made headlines with their strategic racing, securing three stage victories. Despite criticisms regarding their tactics, Pidcock maintained that their success speaks for itself. “They’ve got three stage wins. So whatever people’s opinions of how they’re racing, they’ve won three, so can’t really knock them,” he said.

Stage 8 unfolded as a standard sprint day in Zaragoza, with Pidcock finishing safely in the peloton. He described the day as “uneventful,” despite the excitement of a sprint finale led by Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck. Pidcock anticipated a challenging stage, stating, “It’s going to be headwind then head-cross, so I think we’re going to have a stressful day.”

Looking ahead, Pidcock sees potential opportunities for stage wins in the upcoming stages, specifically stages 9 and 10, which feature hilly and uphill finales into Valdezcaray and El Ferial Larra Belagua. However, he acknowledged that these stages could follow a similar pattern to stages 6 and 7, where breakaways dominated the outcomes.

As the Vuelta progresses, Pidcock’s focus remains on positioning himself for a top 10 finish while also eyeing potential victories in the approaching mountain stages. With the competition tightening and the varying terrain ahead, the excitement is set to build as the race moves west toward Galicia and ultimately back to Madrid.

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