Having promised - and won - so much since he hit the international scene as a junior, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) has today taken his biggest professional road win after triumphing at Strade Bianche. The British rider made his move a long way out, with 51km to go when he hit the front, and never saw the other big names again.
Winner Pidcock said it would take some time for his victory to sink in, adding when he joined an attack off the front of what remained of the peloton, with just over 50km to go, that tactic had not been in his pre-race plan.
"Obviously that sector is normally the decisive place so I was just kind of riding hard," he said. "I got the gap on the descent and I just carried on. Honestly, this week, I had the feeling... I had a good feeling, I knew something good was going to happen today.
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"I knew today was my day and that it actually paid off is pretty incredible, I don't even know what to think right now."
He said on a few occasions when the chase group came very close to catching him he thought "I've messed it up, I've gone too early, I've wasted my short here". However, he said the race was so fast, he knew if he got a gap and kept going, he would be hard to catch.
Pidcock was with two others initially when he moved off the front as he responded to an attack by Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Andrea Bagioli (Soudal-QuickStep). However, just over 5km later in rode away from them on a descent. And with about 40km remaining he had caught the two men still out front from the early breakaway, Alessandro De Marchi (Team Jayco Alula) and Sven Erik Bystrøm (Intermarché-Circus-Wantyand), who had just dropped 19-year-old Iván Romeo (Movistar Team).
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Bystrøm soon lost his place at the front, leaving Pidcock and De Marchi in a two-man group with about 30km to go. However, on gravel sector 9 at Monteaperti Pidcock shook off the Italian and rode the final 20km on his own.
As he pressed forward relentlessly, a strong chasing group formed behind him and go to within 15 seconds of Pidcock on sector 11 at La Tolfe. In that group were: Jumbo Visma team mates Tiesj Benoot and Attila Valter, Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious).
However, before the final climb up into Siena for the finish began, Pidcock had his advantage back up to 30 seconds. In the chase group, there was a clear dispute between Jumbo Visma team mates Benoot and Valter, the Hungarian champion who is new to the team.
At one point, when Benoot pulled clear on a climb and looked back, it was Valter apparently towing the other riders up. His Belgian team was clearly displeased, waving his arm in frustration - even though Valter was actually trying to bridge up to him solo. That incident, and the apparent inability of the riders to agree a more unified approach to the finale, are likely to result in a serious discussion on the bus after the race.
Pidcock benefitted from that disharmony, and the reluctance of the others in the chase group to work with two Jumbo Visma riders. And though the young British rider was hurting up front, he rode with great heart to take a truly impressive win.
In the end, Jumbo Visma did not even take 2nd place, with that runner-up slot going to Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) who finished 20 seconds behind the winner, with Benoot 3rd at 22 seconds. Then came Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Valter, 4th and 5th at 23 seconds. Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) then rounded out the last of the chasing group, taking 6th place some 34 seconds down on the winner.
