Tom Pidcock finished the Valladolid time trial at the Vuelta a España exhausted but visibly satisfied, where he achieved a crucial result to defend his position on the podium.

Despite finishing 22nd in the 12.5km stage, the Q36.5 team leader managed to gain a precious three seconds on his closest rival Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in the fight for third place, behind Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida.

The Briton thus increased his lead over Hindley to 39 seconds, a margin that is not entirely reassuring ahead of the final mountain stage to Bola del Mundo on Saturday, but nonetheless important for maintaining control in the battle for the podium.

Pidcock admitted he had to recover mentally after the disappointment of stage 11, when he was in a breakaway with Vingegaard before the finale was neutralized due to protests. But now he says he's ready to defend his position:

For the British rider, a final podium finish would be a historic achievement, even more important than a stage win. The final climb of the Bola del Mundo will be the decisive moment to achieve this goal.