Tom Pidcock's coach wants to close "an achievable gap" and potentially have Briton fight for Grand Tour victories in the future

The Vuelta a Espana this year saw a few revelations but above all confirmations. For several years Tom Pidcock had a Grand Tour project in the making and hoped to realize his potential in the three-week races. Several times he didn't succeed, but at the end of so many years, the Briton finally achieved this, showing his best level throughout three weeks, joining Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida on the final podium.  

"This is only the Vuelta, but it’s a step in the right direction for Tom with the numbers he was doing. I think his body got a signal that it can recover during stages," Pidcock's coach and vocal figure Kurt Bogaerts said in an interview with The Cycling Podcast.

"We are three minutes from the winner. And now we know that if we will potentially win a Grand Tour one of these days, we need to close a minimum of three to four minutes. I think that’s an achievable gap," he argues.

The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team rider wanted to test his legs at the Giro d'Italia but after a very long and busy spring, alongside no altitude training, the pieces simply did not fit together. At the Vuelta however, the Briton came in with the ideal preparation, and despite the immense amount of mountain stages, he did not show any sign of weakness all throughout the Grand Tour.

Pidcock has proven that he is able to compete for a top result in the Grand Tours. So what next? The Giro d'Italia is a possibility, and so is the Tour de France at the pace that the team has been conquering UCI points, the Swiss outfit could well already receive a wildcard for the next edition.

But the Belgian coach is keen on not putting that pressure on Pidcock. "I don’t think we need to go next year to try to win it, or only to go for the podium. I think we will try to copy this and analyze this event in detail. What can we do better? And what do we do well already? Let’s make it achievable, the progression."