Tom Pidcock sprints to third place

Tom Pidcock sprinted to a third place in the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia. The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team’s leader was on the wheel of pink jersey Mads Pedersen when he launched his sprint. It’s the second top five placing for the 25-year-old rider in his inaugural Giro d’Italia.

The final of the 151-kilometer long stage from Ceglie Messapicato to Matera was a punchy one with a climb with gradients up to 10% in the final three kilometers. Mads Pedersen lost some ground on that climb just under two kilometers to go but was back just in time for the sprint in the historical streets of Matera.

“Unfortunately [he came back],” Pidcock said with a smile right after the finish. “It was a hard final. I was on his wheel and let the pace go a bit. I should have gone straight past but it was a long way so I went around him. This finish was perfect for me, very explosive. Third is not bad.”

After a fifth place in the opening stage, Pidcock gets another good result in his first Giro d’Italia. He has no regrets.

“It was a hard final. They race so hard these days that there are still a hundred left up there,” Pidcock analysed. “You have to be very focused all the time. I don’t think we as a team could have done anything different. You have to go with the race. I was a bit far back on the climb and maybe wanted to try something at the top but it was too short a climb and everyone had the same pace there.”

The sixth stage on Thursday takes the peloton from Potenza to Napoli. There are quite a few climbs in the first hours of the stage which with 227 kilometers is the longest in the race, but the final 60 kilometer to Napoli are flat.

The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is also in action in Hungary for the 100th edition of the Tour de Hongrie. Giacomo Nizzolo sprinted to a seventh place in the opening stage.