Tom Pidcock has his eyes on a top-five finish in the general classification and a stage win at the Tour de France, after showing his climbing prowess on the Puy de Dôme on Sunday.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider was among the best on the final climb – a steep volcano – of the ninth stage, and moved up two spots in the GC to seventh, 47 seconds behind Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) in fifth.
“It’s nice to be at the front of the race,” Pidcock told Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews after the stage. “I’m feeling stronger and more confident every day.”
The Brit made his Tour de France debut last year, winning the Queen stage with a solo attack on Alpe d’Huez. He finished 16th overall, and second to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in the best young rider classification.
“I’ve never really raced for GC before in a Grand Tour, or any stage race for that matter. It’s all new and I’m learning every day,” he said. “I seem to be improving with each GC day. I hope that continues.”
“If I can fight for a top five on GC, then that motivates me,” he added.
Along with his GC ambitions, the 23-year-old also expressed his desire for a stage win at the race. “I want to win a stage,” he said. “I want to celebrate. That’s what motivates me, but we’ll see.”
Pidcock is not the only Ineos Grenadiers rider in the top 10 at the Tour. 22-year-old Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez is in fourth place, having gained a few seconds on Yates on the Puy de Dôme.
“I’m happy to be at the front, in the action,” Rodríguez said. “It was an objective of mine to try and do the best possible, and see where I could get. So far, it’s going well, so I’m happy and I hope the second week goes well, too.”
The team’s deputy principal, Rod Ellingworth, has been pleased by the performance of the young pair. “I think our guys are doing exactly what was asked of them, which is just to keep that same rhythm, keep that same tempo,” he told Cycling Weekly. “And they’re doing a really good job. They’re exactly on target in that sense.”
Although no GC targets have been set, Ellingworth thinks top-five finishes are “doable” for both riders.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t put a placing on it,” he said. “We just talked about consistency through the race, so that’s the main thing. I think it’s doable, isn’t it? I think for both [Pidcock] and Carlos. They’re capable. You see all these lads, as they grow, they always have an off day somewhere, so it’s about trying to avoid having an off day.
“I’m fairly confident that they’ll keep that same level,” Ellingworth added.
