Results Andorra MoraBanc Classica 2026 - Tom Pidcock survives Sepp Kuss attack to win brutal Coll de la Botella showdown
Cycling
Tom Pidcock claimed victory at the 2026 Andorra MoraBanc Classica after surviving a late Sepp Kuss attack and beating Carlos Verona to the line at the top of Coll de la Botella.
The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader came through a brutal final climb after his team had spent much of the finale driving the race apart. Verona finished second after launching the final move, with Pidcock immediately following before finishing off the job in the sprint.
On a short but punishing 125km route packed with more than 4,000 metres of climbing, the race gradually built towards the final ascent after heat, altitude, gravel and repeated climbing had already thinned the field. Temperatures reached 31C after the start in Andorra la Vella, while the early breakaway was steadily reduced before the approach to the decisive mountain.
Jefferson Alexander Cepeda, Joan Bou and Eivind Broholt Fougner emerged as the last survivors from the original move after the gravel section beyond Pardines, but the balance of the race shifted once Q36.5 began to take control behind.
Harper drives race apart before Kuss attack
Julien Bernard briefly threatened to upset the favourites after attacking on the run-in to Coll de la Botella. The Frenchman bridged across to the front of the race, pressed on alone, and stretched his advantage before the final climb.
Q36.5 refused to let the move settle. Mark Donovan had already done a long turn for Pidcock before the climb, and Damien Howson then took over as the road began to rise. That pressure removed several major names from contention, with Einer Rubio, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Ibon Ruiz and Derek Gee all distanced before the final kilometres. Gee’s challenge unravelled further when he was forced into a bike change.
Chris Harper then took over for Q36.5 and briefly opened a gap of his own, reaching Bernard before the earlier attacker was dropped. Simon Carr bridged across soon after, while Pidcock, Kuss, Verona and Ben Tulett also made the decisive selection.
Inside the final 4km, the race had been reduced to a small group, with Harper still setting the tempo for Pidcock. As the hardest section approached, Kuss launched his move and opened a gap, forcing the others onto the defensive.
Harper responded with a huge chase, initially setting off after Kuss with Verona before Pidcock came back across. Tulett also returned briefly, but the group shifted again inside the final kilometre as Kuss tried once more to break clear.
Pidcock closed the last part of the gap himself, bringing the race back together before Verona launched in the closing metres. The Spaniard’s move briefly threatened to decide the race, but Pidcock was immediately on the wheel and had the stronger finish, sprinting to victory at Coll de la Botella.
The win gives Pidcock one of his biggest victories since joining Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and confirms the British rider’s sharpness on a day where his team controlled the key phases of the race before he delivered in the final sprint.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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