The adventures of Britain's Tom Pidcock in the Tour de France gave the young rider of the Ineos Grenadiers the biggest win of his career at L'Alpe d'Huez and gave the team a second straight victory on cycling's most mythical climb.

Pidcock's debut in the Tour de France solidified Ineos Grenadiers' new strategy to win a stage and the overall at the Tour de France.

It was the first stage win for Ineos Grenadiers in the Tour de France since Michal Kwiatkowski and Richard Karapas finished together in La Roche-sur-Ferron in 2020.

But if the 2020 joint win, also in the Alps, was a virtual consolation for the British team, which lost overall contender Egan Bernal to injury, Pidcock's victory in 2022 over former Tour de France winner and compatriot Chris Froome is, It feels like the beginning of a new chapter for Pidcock and the team.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life," Pidcock said when asked about having to race at the front through the huge crowds in L'Alpe d'Huez while simultaneously trying not to get tangled up with flag-waving fans spilling into the middle of the road.

"I can't explain what it's like, you know. Basically, you just have to pray that everyone stays out of your way. It's one of the most iconic stage finishes in cycling and one of the best experiences of my life.

Taking on such an iconic stage and winning on his debut was a catalyst for Pidcock to "have bigger ambitions for this race in the future."

While it remains to be seen what the British racer's long-term goals are in the Tour de France, what Pidcock has accomplished now - both the final stage result and the process that produced that success - cannot fail to impress.

Pidcock, who bridged the early break with a brilliant descent of the Galibier, was one of the most active riders in the early break; of the three all categories, he repeatedly accelerated in the next Croix de Fer, helping to reduce the field from nine to five.

Then, at L'Alpe d'Huez with 10.4 km to go, Pidcock made his first attack. Then, with 10 km to go, Pidcock attacked again.

Pidcock held Meintjes for nearly 8 seconds for several kilometers, gradually increasing the gap to the South African. At the summit, the gap had widened to 48 seconds, and the gap to Froome exceeded two minutes.

"His victory was part of a special plan devised after losing time on stage 11 and discussed on the Ineos Grenadiers team bus on Thursday morning.

"The idea was to go into the break and try to win the stage. And I went into the break with Chris Froome (Israel Premier Tech).

"I was in a good mood on the bus, I was feeling good. We went into the break and the gap kept getting wider and wider.

"Everyone thought I was the strongest on the break and I didn't want to get pulled in any further.

Pidcock himself said that if he had not gone down from Galibier fast enough to reach the breakaway, he would not have won the stage. He then went on to explain in detail why his downhill skills had been so honed from an early age.

"I guess I got good at going downhill with practice. I used to always take the long way through the woods on the way to school and come home with my uniform all dirty.

"But it got me used to riding the bike, and I've learned to handle it better in situations where I'm on the edge of my control. I understand the bike, the tires and the grip, but it's not easy to explain."

Pidcock's victory in the Alpe d'Huez catapulted him to the top of the cycling world. He ranked this victory as his second greatest accomplishment, behind the 2021 Olympic MTB gold medal, and said afterward, "I'm not going to let anything happen to me. Even if something happens and I get dropped every day, I don't care. A stage win in my first Tour, that's not bad."