'Disappointed' Tom Pidcock dealt blow in Tour de France preparations as Pinarello-Q36.5 rider forced to drop out of warm-up race

Set to compete at his first Tour since pulling out of the 2024 edition due to Covid-19, Pidcock has contracted another viral infection which could hamper his performance this year.

The 26-year-old from Leeds was training in Sierra Nevada in the lead up to the Tour of Switzerland, which begins on Wednesday, June 17, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

But a mild illness caused Pidcock to miss out on some vital altitude training and thus the Brit will forgo the five-day special in favour of the Andorra MoraBanc Classica.

Pinarello-Q36.5's statement read: "Following a small number of missed training days at the team's altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada due to contracting a mild viral infection, the Pinarello Q 36.5 Pro Cycling Team has decided to amend Tom Pidcock’s June race programme to allow for additional recovery and training time. 

"As such the Tour of Switzerland has been removed from his race calendar to be replaced, health permitting, by the Andorra MoraBanc Classica on 21 June.

"While disappointed to miss the team's home race, Tom has returned home to Andorra where he will continue to train and is now very much looking forward to competing on his adopted home roads around the mountains of Andorra."

Pidcock, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, enjoyed a promising start to the cycling season, pushing Tadej Pogacar all the way in Milano-Sanremo.

That gutsy performance earned him his second Monument runners-up medal and his first since 2023.

It also followed his debut triumph at Milano-Torino and a strong showing at the Vuelta a Espana 2025, where he placed on the podium for the first time at a Grand Tour.

Pidcock will be hoping to finish inside the top 10 of this year's Tour de France, a feat he has fallen short of on two occasions - finishing 16th and 13th - prior to his withdrawal in 2024.

Despite Pidcock's absence in Switzerland, Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Primoz Roglic will be battling it out from June 17 to June 21.

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