'You don't give Carapaz free time' - Pidcock explains Pinarello-Q36.5 breakaway chase

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) finished safely within the yellow jersey group on what he described as a "controlled" GC finale on stage 18 of the Tour de France at Orcières-Merlette.

The Briton crossed the line tenth on the stage, third from the yellow jersey group, 4:35 behind stage winner Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost). The result keeps Pidcock eighth overall, 12:58 adrift of race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and in a strong position to remain in the top ten until Paris.

In the run-in to the final climb, Pidcock’s Pinarello-Q36.5 teammates were seen pacing at the front of the peloton alongside riders from TotalEnergies and Tudor Pro Cycling. 

With Pidcock starting the day in eighth, Jordan Jegat ninth, and Yannis Voisard tenth, Carapaz’s presence in the breakaway threatened their positions, particularly when the Ecuadorian held a virtual advantage on the road that breached over eight minutes at one point.

Because Carapaz started the stage in 12th overall, the ProTeams could not afford to grant him what Pidcock described as "free time" in the contest to finish in the top 10.

Speaking after the stage, Pidcock acknowledged the danger that a rider of Carapaz's calibre poses, and hence why his Pinarello-Q36.5 riders were contributing to the pace-setting in the bunch.

“Not an easy day but the last climb was fairly controlled I think. But when Carapaz is up the road, this guy, I have too much respect for this guy to give him free time, you don’t give Carapaz free time," Pidcock told Eurosport.

While the Ecuadorian leapfrogged Voisard into tenth overall, he still trails Pidcock by a comfortable 8:02.

Pidcock explained that his GC position made joining the action out front very difficult, especially after his aggressive approach during the second week, which saw him join three successive breakaways

“It wasn’t possible to get into the break, nobody wanted me there. Yeah I already knew from before the race, I was on people’s blacklist to not get in the break.”

On track to eclipse his previous best Tour finish of 13th in 2023, Pidcock admitted that his full focus has turned to GC with two crucial Alpine stages to come before Paris. 

“I wanted to try one more time. I guess now I just focus on the GC until Paris,” he said. 

Though the finale was "controlled" for the GC group, a primary talking point was Pogačar’s lack of support due to an illness sweeping through UAE Team Emirates-XRG camp.

After Adam Yates struggled on stage 17, Brandon McNulty faltered early on stage 18 and was forced to abandon. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe took over pacing duties on the final climb.

When asked if UAE's vulnerability would alter the race dynamics in the final Alpine stages, Pidcock suggested the pressure might shift elsewhere.

“I mean it’s not good for them [UAE], they definitely weren’t in a good way today, but I think, to be honest, these next two days, it’s about the other teams fighting for the podium, so I think UAE might not have that much work to do.”