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Tom Pidcock has continued to enjoy the best Tour de France GC campaign of his career so far, riding the "best TT he's ever done" on stage 16 to make a top 10 finish by the time the race reaches Paris look likely.
Admitting how little he trains the discipline and not known for his abilities against the clock, despite winning the junior world title in Bergen some nine years ago, Pidcock surprised himself to finish 12th on Tuesday's 26.1km test, just behind TT specialists and former teammates Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling.
"I don't know how I finished there, but I know at the top of the climb, I was basically like the fastest time from everyone who had been before me, so probably I faded at the end," said Pidcock as he recounted his effort at the finish.
"I also took it super slow down the descent. It's a scary descent with those walls. That might be the best TT I've ever done, [which is] good for the f* all training I do on this bike."
The Pinarello Q36.5 rider sits eighth overall at the start of stage 17, with just under a 10-minute lead over Jordan Jegat in ninth, and, because he is 12:58 behind race leader Tadej Pogačar, the Brit is hoping to combine his GC goals with that of chasing another stage win.
"Top 10 unless something goes badly wrong, it's pretty reasonable to say it's achievable," said the Brit.
"I think I'm far enough down that I can maybe try and get in some more breakaways and go for some stages. But I think a top 10 will be great for me and the team. I think that's a big thing, but obviously, I want to try and win a stage too."
Pidcock won his first stage at the Tour in 2022 from the breakaway, after an iconic descent off of the Col du Galibier, before winning atop Alpe d'Huez. He'll return to the area as the Tour heads for a doubleheader to Alpe d'Huez from two different sides on Friday and Saturday's Queen stage.
He's admitted that he isn't at the same level as when he finished third overall at the Vuelta a España last September, confirming his long-awaited potential as a GC challenger, but Pidcock continues to find a way to maximise his standing, having been in the breakaway three days in a row before the second rest day. Expect more of the same in these final days.
"I don't have the level I had in the Vuelta last year, so I think on these mountaintop finishes, I'll lose a couple of minutes every time, probably," he admitted.
"The breakaway is a good way to try and get ahead, but I do think I'm getting stronger. I mean, yesterday I felt the legs after the three days in the break; that was probably the easiest rest day ride I've done this year [on Monday], and [yesterday] morning also on the bike my legs were not moving. But then now when I was going, I felt super strong. I mean, if it was a 20-minute climb, I think I would have done my best ever 20 minutes today on TT bike."
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