A professional cyclist completed a mad, international dash to the start line of one of the season’s major grand tours this week.
British cyclist Finlay Pickering, who races for Bahrain Victorious, got the call to replace injured teammate Damiano Caruso less than 24 hours before the Vuelta began on Saturday in Turin.
“It was actually really lucky, because I had a problem with a pair of training wheels and they were in a bike shop, so I was a bit late going out training,” said Pickering.
“I was on the way to pick them up when I got a call from management saying, ‘How quickly can I be in an airport’? Well, if I drive fast, I guess the answer’s – pretty quick…'” he said.
Pickering, who is based in Andorra, grabbed a taxi to Toulouse airport 200km away and caught the first flight out to Italy.
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A delay to that flight meant his suitcase was lost in transit but luckily, he was carrying two pairs of shoes in his hand luggage, so he could start the race anyway.
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“I’ve got a set of boxers, a set of socks, and the team are really good at looking after me, so, no stress,” he said.
Despite this being his first-ever Grand Tour, Pickering seemed calm.
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“I’m pretty ready. I’m a bike rider and this is a bike race, after all – even if it’s a pretty big one,” he said.
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In the first of 21 stages, Pickering finished in 153rd place on Saturday.
