Tom Pidcock: Ineos Grenadiers have options to attack at Tour de France

Heading into the first rest day of the Tour de France, Ineos Grenadiers are in a position not too dissimilar to this time last year. Carlos Rodríguez sits in fourth place and Tom Pidcock has repeated his performance of sitting seventh overall after stage 9. The only difference then was that in addition to having Adam Yates (now UAE Team Emirates) in fourth last time round, the British team also had Geraint Thomas sitting pretty on the third step of the podium.

The team enjoys no such provisional podium luxuries this time around, with Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) currently holding a 1:42 advantage in third place ahead of Rodríguez and 2:46 over seventh-placed Pidcock. Despite this, the Ineos Grenadiers’ co-leaders maintain a sense of calm and confidence as the two youngsters look forward to the rest of the race.

“The start didn’t go as I would have liked,” admits Pidcock, referring to his 29th-place finish on the opening day in the Basque Country. But since finding his legs after the first few stages, the 23-year-old has consistently improved throughout the race and enjoyed arguably his best performance on the Puy de Dôme on Sunday.

Taking time on the likes of Hindley, Yates and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Pidcock came across the line fourth of the GC contenders and only lost time to behemoths Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

“Yesterday was a great day,” beamed Pidcock, speaking on the rest day. “If I can replicate that again then that’s fantastic! There are some really tough days ahead in these next two weeks, and the three days in the Alps are back-to-back, so it is going to be a big test. At the end of week two and heading into week three is where cracks start to show and my goal is to be consistent.”

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Tom Pidcock can take confidence from battling with Grand Tour winners such as Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Gaining time back on Hindley for the first time this race, Rodríguez shared Pidcock’s buoyancy following stage 9’s summit finish atop the iconic Puy de Dôme.

“I've been working for a while to reach the best level, obviously I didn't know if I was going to be between the top 50, 20, 10 or fourth as I am. The truth is that I am quite happy with the situation I am in, but we will see how my legs continue to respond, it is my first Tour and I am still discovering the race.”

Taking Pogačar and Vingegaard out of the equation, with both riders looking destined to finish as the top two in Paris, Ineos Grenadiers are the only team in the battle for third with a pair of teammates in the top 10.

“For sure we will have options [to attack] because of that,” admitted Pidcock, with his optimism shared by the Spaniard.

“At the moment we have two protected riders in the general classification, as long as we continue to respond well it will continue to be that way and I think it could be good for us to have two cards to play and have the best possible result,” added Rodríguez.

But for Pidcock, the keyboard tacticians may have to temper their enthusiasm given the age of both he and Rodríguez, with Pidcock riding for GC for the first time and Rodríguez making his Tour de France debut.

“Carlos [Rodríguez] finished seventh at La Vuelta last year, so he is a bit more used to this than me. But it’s not the same as if you had two experienced GC riders who know their limits and know if they push a bit hard, they can recover for the next day. So I am not too sure… we will see.”

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Recovering after a hot day on the Puy de Dôme, Tom Pidcock was grateful to have water immediately on hand

Both Pidcock and Rodríguez would be delighted with top-five finishes come the end of the Tour de France, but with the race for third wide open and taking inspiration from Geraint Thomas’ podium last year, there is no reason the two youngsters cannot set their ambitions high heading into the final two weeks.

Jumbo-Visma demonstrated the benefits of the one-two offensive on the Col du Galibier last year, where the weakness of Pogačar was exposed when having to close down attacks from both Vingegaard and Primož Roglič.

A chink in the armour of third-placed Hindley was found on stage 9, with the Australian losing time to both Ineos leaders, and the peloton knows that the second week of the race may be just as hard as the first, given the soaring temperatures that are expected in the Alps.

“In the heat, I am generally okay if I have prepared,” insisted Pidcock. “I have prepared quite well - I wouldn’t say optimally - but I have done a few sessions in the heat chamber and things. Yesterday, I was pretty good even though it was a really hot day.”

For the man from Yorkshire, this Tour de France represents the first stage race that he has solely committed to riding for GC, and Pidcock is relishing the opportunity that he has seen opening up for himself.

“I’m now enjoying riding for GC, especially now that I am getting better and with each test I am improving, staying nearer the front. It motivates me. Before, if you’d have told me to race for the top 10, I wouldn’t have been so bothered, but now I am actually enjoying the challenge and each little win.”

When pressed on whether this Tour de France represents a turning point in his career, from a jack-of-all-trades to a GC contender, Pidcock joked that none of his rivals at the Tour will be trying to win the mountain bike World Championships straight after the race, just as he will. But he is keeping his options open.

“I don’t know, we will see… ask me in a week’s time.”