Tom Pidcock ready to take a step up'

Ineos Grenadiers rider says that he's determined to beat Pogačar and Vingegaard to a stage win over the coming weeks

- Tom Thewlis

Even thumbtacks couldn’t decisively deflate Tom Pidcock’s Tour de France ambitions as he came away from the opening weekend in the Basque Country with reasons to believe he is on track to take another step in his progression as a rider.

While the Yorkshireman wasn’t able to match the top GC riders on the steepening slopes of Côte de Pike on stage one, he finished in the front group on stage two despite being one of several riders who got tacks in their tyres (see p8) and said he was “reasonably comfortable” on the final climb, an ascent more representative of what is to come at this Tour de France.

He attacked in the run in to the finale but eventually had to settle for fourth on the stage in the sprint.

He said: “I knew I had a chance in the sprint. In the end I was a little bit boxed in between Wout [van Aert] and Tiesj [Benoot, Jumbo-Visma]. I got a little bit stalled.”

Asked about his late attack, he said: “My sprint was OK but I thought everyone’s legs were falling off there, and if I got a little gap and there was some hesitation, I could have come solo to the line. I was thinking again about trying something in the final kilometre but I was on the right side. Victor [Lafay, stage winner] went on the left so I was like ‘OK, I missed that.’”

He added: “I think each day I can get a bit better and I can certainly take confidence from today in the next days.”