Tom Pidcock has had to change his approach to the 2026 Tour de France due to an infection, pulling out of his planned appearance at the Tour de Suisse, the Pinarello Q36.5 team revealed on Tuesday morning.
Pidcock was due to race against the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel ahead of his first return to the Tour since 2024, but after not being able to train fully while in Sierra Nevada, those face-offs will have to wait until July.
“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,” read an update on the team’s website.
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“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.”
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Pidcock has barely raced since Liège-Bastogne-Liège, taking second at Eschborn-Frankfurt and winning the Nové Město XCO mountain bike World Cup round in May, but the five days in Suisse were due to be his final tune-up for July.
There was no mention of the Tour de France in the statement put out by Pinarello Q36.5, and Pidcock will have 18 days to recover in time for the Barcelona Grand Départ, when the race kicks off with a team time trial on July 4.
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The Briton was set to chase “enjoyment” as his main goal on a fourth lap around France, with his previous appearances, all for Ineos Grenadiers, bringing him a stage win atop Alpe d’Huez in 2022, but mostly being disappointing.
He enjoyed the best Grand Tour GC performance of his career so far at the end of 2025, finishing third overall at the Vuelta a España. If he does get back on track in time, he will be the Swiss team’s spearhead, with stage wins and an improved GC performance as likely objectives.
