Pidcock adds Eschborn-Frankfurt to schedule as focus shifts to Tour

Tom Pidcock will make a surprise appearance at Eschborn-Frankfurt on Friday, with his Pinarello Q36.5 team explaining that the race had been added to his programme to help him regain full fitness after suffering a knee injury in a crash last month.

The Briton returned to competition at the Tour of the Alps last week after suffering knee ligament damage and a hairline fracture of the tibia in a heavy crash at the Volta a Catalunya in March.

Although Pidcock finished second on the opening day of the Tour of the Alps, he told Domestique afterwards that it been his “worst ever” day on the bike. Two days later, Pidock sprinted to victory in Arco, and he enjoyed a cameo in the break on the tough final stage.

Those displays raised hope for Liège-Bastogne-Liège at the weekend, but an untimely puncture ruined Pidcock’s challenge and he came in more than 16 minutes down on Tadej Pogacar.

Pidcock was initially due to take a short break after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, with coach Kurt Bogaerts telling Domestique that he was likely to ride the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto in May as well as undertaking an extended altitude camp ahead of the Tour de Suisse.

Bogaerts acknowledged that Pidcock’s presence at the Tour of the Alps was oriented more towards ensuring he maintained his planned number of race days before the Tour de France rather than trying to find his form before Liège.

The Briton had enjoyed a fine start to 2026, winning Milano-Torino and placing second to Pogacar in a tumultuous Milan-Sanremo.

On Tuesday, Pinarello Q36.5 announced that Eschborn-Frankfurt has been added to Pidcock’s schedule. Despite a more demanding course in 2026, the team said Pidcock was racing primarily to build his condition, noting that he was approaching the event “with a measured outlook, using the event primarily as an opportunity to rebuild rhythm and continue his progression.” 

Pidcock had indicated that he had raced Liège largely with a view to scoring UCI points for his team, but Pinarello Q36.5 insisted that he did not have a “specific result” in mind in Frankfurt. 

“The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team sees Pidcock’s participation as a controlled step within his ongoing build-up,” read the statement. 

“At this stage, the emphasis is on accumulating race kilometres and continuing to re-establish competitive condition after recent setbacks. Eschborn–Frankfurt offers a solid platform in this process, without placing particular expectations on the outcome.”