Unfiltered Grit: Pidcock Secures Second Position In Tour Of The Alps Opener
A podium on paper, a battle in the legs.
Tom Pidcock marked his return to racing at the Tour of the Alps with a hard-fought second place, but the result masked the true physical toll of the day.
Returning after his crash at the Volta Catalunya, the Pinarello Q 36.5 rider was blunt about the lack of "race feel" despite the high finish.
"The result doesn't reflect the day. It was one of the worst. I was suffering more than I have in a very long time. I really didn't have the race rhythm or anything."
Tom Pidcock
THE ENGINE RECOVERS
In pure racing terms, today was about breaking through the "rust." For Pidcock, the final sprint wasn't just a hunt for a result, but a necessary shock to the system to find his peak intensity again.
The first block is done. The focus now shifts to finding the flow in the high mountains.
"The positive is it can only get better. Hopefully that sprint and things open me up a little bit."
Tom Pidcock
