A curious episode characterised the ninth stage of the Vuelta a España , with Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) revealing a heated exchange with João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) during the chase of Jonas Vingegaard on the final climb.

The Briton said Almeida shouted at him to "grow some balls" as the two tried to close the gap on the Dane from Visma-Lease a Bike , who was making a solo breakaway towards the finish line.

"I felt really good when Ciccone and Jonas took off. Obviously, it's always difficult to follow when Jonas has four teammates between you and him," Pidcock explained. "I thought Almeida's wheel was perfect to follow, hoping to come back. But hats off to him—I couldn't give him any changes. He was screaming, but he's like a tractor, especially when we got to the flat section."

Despite the tension, Pidcock managed to secure an excellent second place, which propelled him to fourth place in the overall standings , 1:35 behind leader Torstein Træen. This is an important result for his ambitions of a top 10 finish in Madrid.

"It's difficult to know my full capabilities – I'm a bit cautious at times, but today has definitely given me confidence for the tougher stages that are yet to come," commented the Briton, who is also aiming for a stage win that would be his first in a Grand Tour since his success at Alpe d'Huez at the 2022 Tour.

The Q36.5 team is rising to the occasion, working hard for their captain, along with Lidl-Trek to control the race. "They're giving me 100%, and I'm incredibly grateful for that," Pidcock concluded. "It's a great group of guys, and we're having fun here."