'Best sprint like that I ever did' - High flying Pidcock continues to impress in Catalunya sprint opener

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) has stated he thinks that his sprint on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya was “the best sprint like that that I ever did.”

The British rider launched his sprint early with around 400 metres remaining, and it wasn’t until 250 metres to go that Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) rocketed out of his wheel alongside French champion Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers).

In the end, Godon sprinted to the win narrowly ahead of Evenepoel, meanwhile Pidcock held on for third ahead of Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana).

“It was like everyone said, really hard along the coast, up and down, crosswind, headwind, tailwind,” Pidcock told CyclingProNet. 

Pidcock admitted that it was worth having a dig in the finale due to the necessity to be at the front, regardless, due to the technical nature of the run-in to Sant Feliu de Guíxols. 

“And of course, just have a go in the sprint, we had to be up there anyway because it was such a technical final, and I just had to go a little bit early. In that sprint, if you lose speed, it’s all over anyway,” explained Pidcock.

It’s clear that the British rider is in top shape after his recent performances in Italy, and he admitted that he was also very happy with his sprint in Catalonia.

“I think that’s the best sprint like that I ever did so I can be happy with that,” said Pidcock.

After his exploits in Sanremo, where he narrowly finished second behind Tadej Pogačar in a bike throw to the line on the Via Roma, Pidcock admitted that he didn’t feel as fresh as he first anticipated and that it took him a while to build into the race.

“This morning, I said Sanremo wasn’t a very hard race, and that I feel recovered and fine, but my legs were actually pretty heavy when we started the race, but yeah they felt much better in the end.

Pidcock now sits third overall in the GC, six seconds behind Godon, two behind Evenepoel and four ahead of the rest of the peloton, after picking up bonus seconds at the finish line.