Tom Pidcock details expected Tour de France difference following Gino Mader death

Tom Pidcock believes the racing at this 12 months’s Tour de France will probably be completely different on account of Gino Mader’s death on the Tour de Suisse lower than two weeks in the past.

Mader, who was 26, died on June 16 on account of accidents suffered when he crashed right into a ravine on a high-speed descent, and rider security has been a sizzling matter within the construct as much as Saturday’s opening stage.

Pidcock, who was additionally racing in Switzerland, lit up the Tour de France on debut final 12 months with an unimaginable descent off the Galibier establishing his victory on the Alpe d’Huez.

However requested if he expected the strategy to racing to be impacted by what occurred in Switzerland, the 23-year-old mentioned: “I feel so. I feel particularly for everybody who was on the race, that was fairly exhausting hitting.

“I didn’t see a single rider take any dangers after that incident on the final two phases. Personally I feel one of many issues that hit me was it occurred descending which is one thing that I really like.

“It type of confirmed me what the results might be when it goes mistaken. I by no means take uncalculated dangers once I’m descending, I don’t take pointless dangers however issues can occur once we’re using down a descent at 100 kilometres an hour in lycra.”

Pidcock heads into this 12 months’s Tour aiming to raised final 12 months’s debut. For him, which means being extra constant within the normal classification so there will probably be no intentionally shedding time to get in a breakaway. If he’s to win one other stage, he desires it to be from the group of favourites.

“Suisse was a bizarre one for me,” he mentioned. “I used to be coming straight from coaching camp, I used to be not the place I assumed I might be. It’s a bit unusual type of coming into the race not realizing the place my degree is in a race, however I do know from my coaching that I’m going fairly good.

“Going into the primary stage of a Grand Tour is at all times a query mark however I feel my preparation has gone higher than final 12 months as a result of I’ve obtained by means of with out getting Covid.”

Whereas Pidcock was at all times expected to spearhead the Ineos Grenadiers’ hopes in France, Monday’s squad announcement included the welcome information that 2019 champion Egan Bernal is again on the Tour 18 months after a life-threatening crash in coaching at house in Colombia.

The staff made the choice after Bernal rode to twelfth within the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month.

“Truly earlier than the Dauphine my plan was to be on vacation at the moment,” the 26-year-old mentioned. “I feel it was an enormous, massive doubt earlier than the Dauphine to come back right here however throughout the race I used to be not too unhealthy after which they took the choice.”

Racing a Grand Tour is a unique proposition to a week-long race just like the Dauphine, and Bernal mentioned he’s making an attempt to not assume too far forward.

“I have to take this actually day-by-day,” he mentioned. “It’s my first three-week race for an extended, very long time and I used to be not getting ready 100 per cent for this race, however clearly I’ll do my greatest.

“The primary massive goal is to not lose time within the first days after which after that I can determine relying on the emotions.

“It’s been a tough couple of years however I feel I needs to be grateful to be alive and to be right here on the Tour. After every little thing I simply attempt to see the nice issues at this level.”