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Bahrain Victorious rider Finlay Pickering had to scramble to make it to Turin in time for the Vuelta a Espana’s start, arriving without his luggage after being drafted in as a last-minute replacement.
The 22-year-old Briton received a call to replace injured teammate Damiano Caruso less than 24 hours before the opening stage began, triggering a frantic journey involving a 200-km taxi ride from Andorra to Toulouse and a flight delay.
He went on to finish Saturday’s first stage in 153rd place.
“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,” Pickering told reporters.
“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... The first flight was delayed, so I didn’t get my suitcase.
“But at least I managed to pack two pairs of shoes (in hand luggage) so I can start today. I’ve got a set of boxers, a set of socks, and the team are really good at looking after me, so — no stress.”
Pickering has never previously competed in a Grand Tour, but he did not seem daunted by the prospect.
“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 added.

Russian Diana Shnaider continued her impressive winning streak in tour-level finals at the Monterrey Open on Saturday, beating compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the WTA 500 event’s final.
Shnaider had little trouble in the opening set but struggled in a topsy-turvy second, as Alexandrova clinched the set’s fifth and decisive break at 5-4 to force a decider.
Third seed Shnaider carved out an advantage early on in the third set when she broke Alexandrova in the first game and held serve to go 2-0 up, an advantage she would not relinquish.
World number 12 Shnaider is now unbeaten in her last five finals on the WTA Tour, adding the Monterrey crown to her triumphs in Hong Kong, Budapest, Bad Homburg and Hua Hin last year.
The win also saw Shnaider level her head-to-head record with Alexandrova, who was faced with a quick turnaround for the final after her semifinal against Czech Marie Bouzkova was moved from Friday to Saturday due to a rain-enforced suspension.
Both players will have little time to rest after the final before they make the nearly 2,000 mile journey from Monterrey to New York to play in the first round of the US Open, which begins on Sunday.
Shnaider will face Germany’s Laura Siegemund, while Alexandrova takes on Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.