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“Third week, third place”

The second week of La Vuelta a España has just finished and after Monday’s rest day we continue with the third and final week. Third is also the position we find Tom Pidcock in after 15 stages through Italy, France, Andorra and Spain. It’s the result of immense dedication and grit from our team leader but also from everyone around him: from his seven teammates Xabier Mikel, Nick, David DLC, David G, Damien, and our two Grand Tour rookies Fabio and Marcel plus all the staff working from early morning to late at night.

After two weeks we wanted to put a spotlight on our two Grand Tour debutants: Marcel Camprubí and Fabio Christen and hear about Grand Tour life. And we look ahead to week three with Head of Racing Alex Sans Vega.

1 September 2025

Marcel Camprubí – learning Grand Tour life

Marcel Camprubí is 23 years old and hails from Barcelona so the stages in Catalunya were a highlight for him, but he sees family and friends roadside every day. For a guy who has only been in the sport for three years, and whose longest stage race so far was eight days long, the second week was all about the unknown.

“This second week was really hard for me,” the Catalan said. “I was feeling good until the rest day and in the stage after the rest day I tried hard to be in the breakaway. After that I felt bad. In the stages in the Basque Country I was a bit sick. Then every climb is endless. Luckily, I started to feel better in the stages in the second half of this week.”

Marcel’s year is all about discovery with his first Monuments Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège to his first World Tour stage races. Coaching staff saw he was ready to embark on his first Grand Tour.

“The level of the guys every day is just unbelievable. I did some monuments this year and knew the level was high but here it’s all days. Some days when you feel very empty, it’s still full on. Angliru wasn’t too bad for me because I felt decent and when you feel okay nothing is impossible. The people roadside have been amazing every day. They make this a special race and give me those Grand Tour vibes.”

Fabio Christen – the youngest voice

Fabio Christen is also 23 and the youngest of the team. He got his first professional wins this season and was ready to take this new step in his career. The Swiss rider sprinted to a seventh and an eleventh place in the opening week, but the second week was different.

“I am tired,” he smiles. “It’s been a good race until now. I love the crowds on the side of the road. That helped on the long climbs we had this week because I didn’t feel as strong as week one. This week was all about surviving for me. I am now looking forward to the rest day and hopefully there will be some chances for me in the third week.”

Tom Pidcock – pushing for Madrid

Team leader Tom Pidcock is getting stronger every day. The eleventh stage in Bilbao was tailor-made for the British rider, and he showed it, attacking on the steep Alto de Pike and becoming one of the few riders this season dropping Jonas Vingegaard. The disappointment was palpable after it became clear there would be no stage win awarded.

There was no time to linger too long. Pidcock kept showing he is a contender for the podium in Madrid. All the preparation so far has been rewarded with strong and inspirational rides by the 26-year-old. The climbs to Angliru on Friday and La Farrapona on Saturday showed he bends but never breaks.

On Angliru, one of the hardest climbs in Spain, he got dropped at six kilometers but dug deep into every energy reserve and every bit of mental resilience. He even came back to Pellizzari and Riccitello in the end, which was a huge effort on a climb that doesn’t necessarily suit his characteristics. Pidcock did the same on Saturday to La Farrapona, losing a bit of time but never surrendering. He finished in the top ten of eight of the 15 stages so far and sits in third place overall with a 32-second margin on fourth place Jai Hindley.

Looking ahead – Alex Sans Vega

There are six more stages waiting in the third and final week. The two vital ones are a relatively flat 27-kilometer time trial in Valladolid on Thursday and the final mountain top finish to Bola del Mundo on Saturday.

Head of Racing Alex Sans Vega sees how everyone in the team is tired but also how the entire team can be proud. He looks ahead to the final week:

“There are now two races. There is one for the Vuelta win between Vingegaard and Almeida and there is one for the podium with Tom, Hindley and Gall and possibly with Pellizzari, Riccitello and Kuss. The gaps are still relatively small between those guys now. They have roughly the same time trial skills so I think that it will be tight until Bola del Mundo. The weather here can also play a role, so we keep a close eye on that.”

“For us it’s important to now continue doing what we do and that is to support Tom as good as we can. That is by going in the break, and by staying around him to get him in the best position for the important points. I think the vibes are good although you can see the accumulated fatigue on their faces but that’s normal after two weeks. I think we can all be very proud of where we are as a team now.”