Tom Pidcock wins Tour of the Alps stage three weeks after serious crash
Three weeks after suffering a nasty crash that left him hospitalised, Yorkshire’s cycling superstar Tom Pidcock claimed an emotional victory on Wednesday.
Pidcock, the double Olympic mountain bike champion, won stage three of the Tour of the Alps for his third victory of the year for the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
It was only his third race since injuring his knee in a bad crash at the Volta a Catalunya and it was a typically brave and determined performance from the 26-year-old from Leeds.
“With my injury and the time off, it’s been difficult,” he said after a hot and demanding 174.5km stage to Arco in Italy.
“Coming back is very hard mentally - even the first time I was dropped, it was tough to deal with. So this win feels really nice.
“I think that’s the mentality that we have - we commit 100 per cent, even though I’m really not in the best shape. I gave everything.
“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 kept going.”