Pidcock maintains podium position after cruel Vuelta mountain test
Tom Pidcock fought to maintain his third place overall at the Vuelta a España after a punishing climb up the Angliru on stage 13.
"It was super tough," said Pidcock after the stage to reporters at the finish. "Finding rhythm was impossible, it's just unforgiving."
The British rider finished in seventh place on stage 13 and despite the difficulty, Pidcock valiantly limited his losses to 1:16 on the day on stage winner João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). In the overall standings, he is now 2:18 behind the red jersey Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).
"I tried to do my own pace, but you're just fighting the whole way up," Pidcock explained. "You're not really getting into a rhythm." With sections exceeding the 20% mark, the wicked climb provides a gruelling test.
The challenging stage began with a remarkably fast approach in the run in to the brute. Pidcock credited Visma | Lease a Bike rider Dylan van Baarle with "making everyone's legs hurt" in the tailwind conditions that led to the run-in to the almighty Angliru climb.
Asked by reporters if the outcome of the Angliru offered any insights into what's ahead in this Vuelta, Pidcock acknowledged its significance while noting its unique challenge.
"It is a little bit of an anomaly, but it tells us some things to come," Pidcock said. "[Jai] Hindley's obviously pretty strong, and João [Almeida] is strong on these longer climbs."
The Q36.5 rider was satisfied with his climbing performance, calling it "pretty good" considering the length and difficulty of the Angliru which is 12.4 kilometres at 9.8% with sections ramping over 20%. He revealed he has broken numerous power records during this year's Vuelta, particularly in efforts lasting 20-30 minutes.
As the race enters its later stages, heading towards the end of the second week, Pidcock admits recovery is becoming increasingly difficult. "It's getting later into the race, so it's taking its toll now," he said.
Despite this, Pidcock appeared confident heading into another challenging mountain stage to La Farrapona on Saturday, as he continues his pursuit of a pre-race aspiration, to finish in the top ten of the general classification standings.
Pidcock had a flying start to the 2025 Vuelta a España, where the Briton had been excelling on the single climb finishes and demonstrated a tremendous kick on the neutralised stage 11 to Bilbao.
