24 hours after bravely battling with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at Strade Bianche, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) was still tired after his huge effort, but his morale was high as he attended the big-rider Tirreno-Adriatico press conference.
Pidcock sat at the Italian race’s top table, alongside Monday’s time trial favourite Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), sprinter Jonathan Milan (LIdl-Trek), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and GC favourites Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
They all had fresh legs and big ambitions, but Pidcock still needed time to recover and ease the lactic acid in his body. But he will try to use his form to fight for stage victories and a good general classification.
“I’m feeling pretty tired, to be honest,” Pidcock told Eurosport and Cyclingnews. “Strade Bianche was a big, big day.”
Pidcock was distanced by Pogačar with 18km to race on the final gravel sectors of Strade Bianche but was praised for his courage and ability to stick with the Slovenian.
He was right to have few regrets.
“With hindsight, I probably would have done a bit less work with Tadej, but then maybe we wouldn’t have stayed away,” he pondered.
