Tom Pidcock is quietly assured and dreaming massive forward of the Tour de France Grand Départ in Florence.
The British star is coming into the race primarily focusing on stage wins, however says he’s dreaming of pulling on the chief’s yellow jersey through the opening weekend.
Talking on the Ineos Grenadiers staff resort on Wednesday, Pidcock mentioned that he had accepted he would wish to place his important common classification goals on maintain for an additional 12 months. Nevertheless, he made clear that he could be focusing on the general lead within the opening levels.
“For positive it is potential,” Pidcock mentioned when requested if he backed himself to take the yellow jersey in Italy. “It is sort of what I have been dreaming of this final month after I’ve been coaching arduous. There’s loads of guys who will already be having the identical dream so it isn’t going to be straightforward, however we will give it shot.
“I need to race aggressively and attempt to win some levels,” he added. “Initially I do not need to lose time within the GC for the sake of it, but when I want to try this in an effort to obtain these targets of successful levels then I’ll later within the race.”
Pidcock faces a busy summer season of competitors by which he can even defend the Olympic cross-country mountain gold medal that he gained on the on the Video games in Tokyo. The Yorkshireman defined that his ambitions in Paris meant that inevitably he wanted to recalibrate his targets on the Tour this trip.
“I feel subsequent 12 months is the primary 12 months that anybody will see what I am truly able to on GC right here,” he mentioned.
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Ineos Grenadiers go into this 12 months’s version with Carlos Rodríguez heading up the staff, the current winner of the Tour de Romandie, and their important protected GC rider. The staff additionally one other card to play within the combat for the rostrum within the type of Egan Bernal, a former Tour winner.
“We need to come out of this race with success and nevertheless it comes goes to learn us all,” Pidcock mentioned. “If we’re within the final week and preventing for the rostrum with one among these guys then we will go all in for that.
“I feel if I used to be going for GC and so have been Carlos and Egan, it is by no means straightforward for everyone as a result of we’re all formidable,” he added.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Pidcock’s function will probably be “a bit extra free” on the race, as he tries to go for stage wins.
“If we get a stage win, it would take the stress off somewhat,” he mentioned. “We need to race aggressively. How the staff raced within the Giro was good to see. That is what we need to do right here as properly.”
A lot has been mentioned earlier than the race concerning the probability of Tadej Pogačar igniting the race from the off on Saturday on the powerful mountainous stage. The Slovenian is focusing on the Giro-Tour double, a feat not achieved since Marco Pantani gained each races in 1998.
Pogačar attacked on stage one on the Giro in Might on the hilly stage round Turin. However Ineos’s Jhonatan Narváez was in a position to observe the rampaging UAE Emirates rider and take the primary pink jersey of the race.
Requested by Biking Weekly if he may pull off an identical feat on the Tour, Pidcock mentioned: “Perhaps, we are going to see. In fact we all know who will probably be good and who will make a distinction already. I feel UAE have been out on the course right this moment.
“I feel they’re going to need to make a distinction already initially of this race figuring out that Jonas Vingegaard is a little bit of an unknown. I feel they are going to need to put their playing cards on the desk early in case he comes good within the last week.”
