'Putting us in danger isn't going to help your cause' - Pidcock on Vuelta neutralisation

Tom Pidcock shone on a Vuelta stage that concluded with no stage winner after safety concerns over pro-Palestine protestors at the finish line in Bilbao.

Race organisers announced the decision with 15km remaining, confirming times would be taken at the 3km to go mark rather than the actual finish line.

Pidcock, who has been growing in form and confidence throughout this Vuelta, excelled on the Alto de Pike, distancing the field, including the race leader Jonas Vingegaard, but there was no stage victory to contend for.

"It's hard to describe the disappointment, to be honest. I felt like today was my day, I feel like there should always be a finish line, we are not riding a fucking sportive, are we?" said Pidcock after the stage.

Despite the lack of an official winner, Pidcock showed exceptional form in the Basque hills, surging clear on the Alto de Pike and even managed to distance race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), claiming six bonus seconds at the summit while Vingegaard took four.

The red jersey wearer bridged back to Pidcock after the summit, and the duo collaborated on the descent to put time into their GC rivals before reaching the 3km mark, where times were officially recorded.

Kurt Borgaerts, sports director at Q36.5, confirmed the team received the news mid-race, “I think, what was it, 15km to go or something? They say it was not going to be possible to finish, and that they were going to take the time at 3km to go, and that times will count at 3km to go. That’s what it was.”

Pidcock later confirmed he was aware of the race adaptation, “I was just doing a Tom Pidcock thing, I knew the finish line was at 3km, but I actually didn’t know when 3km was. I was too busy trying to stay with Jonas. We passed through there and realised there wasn’t going to be a winner."

The decision came after pro-Palestine protestors at the finish line in Bilbao raised safety concerns. When asked about the situation, Pidcock struck a balanced tone despite his obvious disappointment.

"It's not easy, the Vuelta did what they could, the organisation to keep us safe, I don't want to say anything political or I will get in trouble," said Pidcock. 

Pidcock was asked if there was anything he wanted to say as a cyclist to the protestors, "Putting us in danger isn't going to help your cause, that simply isn't going to help what they are protesting for. Everyone has got the right to protest whatever they want, but putting us in danger is not the way forward.” 

Pidcock admitted the situation from within the peloton has been concerning at times: "I think a lot of people have held back from talking about it publicly, but it is a bit scary in the peloton sometimes, but as long as our safety is first, then we can continue the racing, and that's what we are here to do."

Despite showing he could challenge Vingegaard on the climbs, Pidcock was philosophical about missing out on a potential victory on the day, with plenty more important stages to come.

"A lot of people talk about what's on paper, you know, I'm not saying I would have won, but I had a good chance to win, and yeah, it's disappointing, but not going to waste any energy on it, there's a long way to go," he said.

"I was told today was going to be the biggest day of protests, so I think from now on it might be better," Pidcock concluded.