‘It was a lot closer, but not close enough’ – Tom Pidcock challenges Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche

A rider’s air disappointment on the podium is always a sign of how much they believed they could win a race. Tom Pidcock struggled to raise a smile in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, knowing that he took the race to Tadej Pogačar and was his equal for 50 kilometres. Second place, the best of the rest, was a huge result but Pidcock had hoped for more.

“I have a bittersweet feeling now. It was pretty close in the end, you know, a lot closer than in previous attempts to beat Tadej. It was a lot closer, but not close enough,” Pidcock explained post race when asked by Cyclingnews about his performance.