Pickering targets stage win after debut Grand Tour

Finlay Pickering finished 29th in the general classification at the Vuelta a Espana

British cyclist Finlay Pickering is looking to build on his "special" first experience of a Grand Tour in the Vuelta a Espana.

The 22-year-old from East Yorkshire was a late call-up to the race after Bahrain Victorious team-mate Damiano Caruso was injured less than 24 hours before the opening stage.

The last-minute nature of his selection meant he had to take a 200km taxi from his Andorra base and arrived at the race with only a rucksack.

"I think the next step for me is to win stages and show I can win - I'm getting closer and I need to make the next step," Pickering told BBC Radio Humberside.

"You have your dreams and aspirations and your long-term goals. It's all well and good saying 'this is what I want to do' - you also have to think about it critically.

"I'm always going to be a climber, that's my physiology. I'm never going to be a Mark Cavendish but I can still strive to be a more rounded rider."

Pickering showcased his quality as a climber by winning the mountains classification at this year's Tour of the Alps.

He said he thought it was amusing that his dash to the start line had been picked up by a number of media outlets but hoped his performances would be the main talking point from now on.

After finishing 29th in the general classification, Pickering said he potentially benefitted from being thrown straight into the race.

"I didn't go to the altitude camp before and arriving 12 hours before the race isn't ideal - but on the other hand it's a long, long tour and these guys had done an altitude camp and another seven days in the same hotel," he said.

"I think for one of my team-mates, it was 40 days away from home in one block and it's not like you're on holiday.

"In some ways that can be quite taxing mentally but if you gave me the option of doing the camp or arriving 12 hours before I'd probably choose the camp. But it shows me you maybe don't need perfect preparation for races.

"If you're in good shape, are consistent, have the desire to do well and you apply yourself, you don't miss a lot."