'This is a big deal' – Tom Pidcock finishes third at Vuelta a España and lands as Grand Tour contender

It wasn't the Grand Tour podium that Tom Pidcock would have envisaged. There was no ticker tape, or crowds, or curated celebrations, but instead a hastily-assembled podium of cool boxes outside Visma-Lease a Bike's team hotel in Madrid.

Protests might have cut short stage 21 of the Vuelta a España, but they could not dampen Pidcock's achievements, as he finished third. He became the first male Olympic MTB champion to finish on the podium of a Grand Tour, and with Q36.5 Pro Cycling, the first rider from a second-division team to be on the podium since 2010.

Just nine British male riders had finished on the podium of a Grand Tour in history, so Pidcock is now part of an elite club. It is a huge jump for the 26-year-old too, as he had never previously finished above 13th at a Grand Tour, or even in the top five of any WorldTour stage race. He is now rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the world.

It is hard to overstate the performance. This was Pidcock, after a brutally hard three weeks, finishing third behind Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and ahead of more established general classification riders like former Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), 2023 Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team).

Eyebrows were raised when general classification was so loudly the aim for Pidcock and Q36.5 Pro Cycling pre-race, given his past form and that this was his team's second-ever Grand Tour. The team were, in fact, only invited to the Vuelta thanks to the number of invited teams being boosted to 23 this season.

"I think there's been so much talk around what I can do in Grand Tours and expectation – not really coming from myself to be honest, more from other people – this is a big deal, that I've shown that I can perform,” he explained to Cyclingnews after stage 20.

"OK, I'm a way off winning, but that doesn't mean I won't be closer in the future. I think in such a short time period, what we've achieved as a team is evident now I'm on the podium. So I can only be happy and positive and look forward to what I will do in the future."

The 26-year-old finished over three minutes behind Vingegaard, but was consistent throughout the race, only really looking a bit out of sorts on the vertiginous Alto de l’Angliru, where he still placed seventh. On stage 20 to the Bola del Mundo, Pidcock only lost seconds, securing his historic result.

It’s a new experience for Pidcock, who is learning all the time about being a GC rider.

"Before, I didn't enjoy Grand Tours, it was not so much fun,” he said. “So it [third in Madrid] is definitely something that has changed that perspective and showed me I can achieve what people closest to me believe I can and my team believes I can. It's a relief, almost – a weight off my shoulders.

"I wouldn't say boring, but it can be tedious, yeah, and monotonous. You have to play safe, and do the boring option, kind of. It's not as spontaneous and erratic, which is a more enjoyable way to race, so it's kind of [about] racing safe."

Now, there will be hope and expectation for Pidcock to return to the Tour de France next year, with his new team, but first, his achievement should be feted. This is the new, safe Pidcock, standing on a cool box, declaring his status as a Grand Tour contender.