Pidcock second in longest stage of Tirreno Adriatico

It was day three of the Tirreno Adriatico when the predicted bad weather hit the peloton.

It was the longest stage of the week with 239 kilometres between Follonica and Colfiorito.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team started the day with six riders because Xabier Mikel Azparren didn’t take the start due to a concussion after a late crash on stage two.

Several breakaways went up the road but it would come down to the final climb to Colfiorito.

After 18,4 kilometres of climbing at only three per cent average the peloton was still rather large with four kilometres to go.

Tom Pidcock was attentive in the attacks that went but also positioned well in the eventual bunch sprint that followed in the end.

He finished in second place behind Andrea Vendrame.

“It was definitely a day to remember with almost seven hours in the rain. Then it becomes a day where it’s a lot about survival. I am really happy that, one, our Q36.5 clothing kept us warm and dry and second, that the guys did a really great job in getting me in the right position for that final climb. It was a bit more of a race up there than I thought. In the sprint I found an opening but I was a little far back. In the end it’s a nice second place and I take some bonus seconds too,” Tom Pidcock said after the finish.

By taking six bonus seconds on Wednesday Pidcock moves up to 19th place in the general classification.

David De La Cruz, who finished in the bunch with Pidcock, currently sits in 12th position with more challenging stages to come.

The Tirreno Adriatico continues on Thursday with a 190-kilometre long stage between Norcia and Trasacco through the Abruzze mountains.

It includes two categorized climbs and the highest point of the race at 1 588 metres above sea level at Valico la Crocetta.