Tom Pidcock stays positive despite 49th placed finish on opening Tour de Suisse time-trial: "That is a step in the right direction"

Scrolling down the official results of the stage 1 time-trial at the Tour de Suisse, Tom Pidcock's placing of 49th may seem like a disappointing result. For the INEOS Grenadiers rider however, he insists it was a positive performance.

"I felt pretty good on the bike. I worked well on my time trial position, but this was not a course for someone weighing 60 kilograms," the 23-year-old told In de Leiderstrui following the conclusion of the stage that was eventually won by Groupama - FDJ's Stefan Kung.

“However much time I've lost, it is what it is. I was able to cycle well, the wattages were as expected. So that is a step in the right direction," Pidcock maintains. The Brit had lost a total of 49 seconds to Kung by the time the stage winner had crossed the line.

"The time trial is one of the most important aspects as a classification rider," explains Pidcock who enters the race with GC ambitions. "At the beginning of the year I didn't have much time to work on my time trial position, but in Tenerife we ​​were able to spend a few days on it. It's nice to see that it has paid off, despite the loss of time I suffered."