“He told me to grow some balls” – Tom Pidcock chastised by João Almeida for lack of help chasing Jonas Vingegaard on stage 9 of La Vuelta

Tom Pidcock might have finished stage 9 of the Vuelta a España in the elite company of João Almeida and just 24 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard, but he wasn’t spared a mid-climb dressing down. The Brit revealed with a grin after the stage that his Portuguese companion in the chase group was none too impressed with his lack of turns.

“He said I needed to grow some balls,” Pidcock laughed in the flash interview after having actually out-sprinted Almeida at the finish line to take second behind Vingegaard on the stage 9 summit finish. “I said, ‘If you slow down a bit, I can keep up and take turns.’”

The exchange came as Almeida dragged the duo in pursuit of Vingegaard on the upper slopes of Valdezcaray, after the Danish Tour champion launched a long-range attack that left most of his GC rivals flailing.

“When Jonas and Ciccone went, it was tough to follow,” Pidcock explained. “Jonas always has four teammates between him and the peloton, and Trek was at the front. But I thought Almeida was the perfect wheel to follow, that we might be able to come back.”

At one point, the pair had clawed their way to within seven seconds of Vingegaard. But the Dane surged again, and the chase stalled. With Almeida grinding out the pace, Pidcock admitted he was simply hanging on. “Hats off to him: I couldn't help much, and he yelled at me, but he's like a tractor,” Pidcock said. “On that flat section, and especially in the last kilometre, it was impressive. I could barely get past him. But I'm happy, to be honest.”

While stage victory proved a step too far, Pidcock’s ride sees him climb to fourth overall, 1:35 behind red jersey Torstein Træen, and only 11 seconds off the virtual podium. Though his win ambitions were dampened by Vingegaard’s dominance, the Q36.5 rider is emerging as a legitimate GC player. “You can't give Jonas any space,” Pidcock said. “But I can be satisfied. I'm happy. I think it's difficult to know exactly what my capabilities are. Sometimes I'm a bit cautious, but this gives me confidence for the tougher days ahead.”

His confidence is mirrored by his Q36.5 team, who have thrown their full support behind him at the Vuelta. “They are 100% committed to me, and I am very grateful for that. It's a great group of guys, and we have a lot of fun. We have to seize the opportunities here in the Grand Tours with both hands.”

With Giulio Ciccone cracking, and several early protagonists paying for their aggression, Pidcock now finds himself not only among the top contenders — but one of the freshest. “I saw them all sprinting halfway up the climbs, and I thought they would have to pay for that later,” he noted. “But there's a long way to go; it's no time for conclusions yet.”