What a difference a few days can make. Just 48 hours after calling it “the worst day ever on the bike,” Tom Pidcock showed his usual stuff, winning Stage 3 at the Tour of the Alps. Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West, who lost some time on Tuesday, looked good, finishing 20th and moving back up to 22nd.
“On Tuesday I made my first major effort in a long time. It was quote a shock to my body. But I needed it,” he said in a post-race interview to CyclingPro.net after Stage 2.
The 174.5-kilometre stage from Laces to Arco packed more than 3,600 m of climbing, with the long Passo Castrin and the drag to Andalo softening the legs early. It only got messier from there. A heavy crash just two kilometres in forced a neutralization of over 15 minutes and saw several riders abandon, including under-23 world champion Lorenzo Finn.
Once things restarted, Sam Oomen and Darren Rafferty slipped clear and built a slender advantage that hovered around a minute through the middle of the stage. The pair held firm over the final uncategorized rise to Tenno, but with a fast run-in to Arco, the writing was on the wall.
“Maybe I went a bit too early in the final. I thought the finish was closer when the barriers started, and it was quite far. I was a bit worried, but I saw Egan was the first guy on the wheel, so I just kept going,” Pidcock said after the race.
The win was more than welcome to the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team rider after suffering the day before, and with all the troubles of the last month.
“With my injury and the time off, it’s been difficult. Coming back is very hard mentally. Even the first time I was dropped, it was tough to deal with. So yeah, this win feels really nice,” Pidcock said.
The catch came inside five kilometres, setting up a reduced bunch sprint. Pidcock’s teammates delivered him to the front at the right moment, and the 25-year-old made it count, turning the tables on
Stage 1 winner Tommaso Dati, with Egan Bernal taking third.
Bernal’s bonus seconds nudge him closer overall to race leader Giulio Pellizzari, while Thymen Arensman remains firmly in the mix.
Stage 4 of the Tour of the Alps is, well, another hilly day. Multiple major climbs sprinkle the 167.8 km route from Arco to Trento.
You can tune into the stage on FloBikes.com starting at 7:35 a.m. EDT.
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