Spring classic in jeopardy? Tom Pidcock forced to abandon Volta a Catalunya with knee damage after ravine crash

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has confirmed the decision this morning to pull Tom Pidcock out of the Volta a Catalunya. The Briton's crash on the fifth stage of the Volta a Catalunya was a huge blow to his ambitions and the injuries that he sustained as a result made his continuation in the race unviable.

“We did everything to try to make it to the start but it’s not possible. I fought to finish the stage yesterday to make sure I had the option to continue. Now the focus is on recovery and I’ll be back," Tom Pidcock said in a press release.

Pidcock, fresh off a second place at Milano-Sanremo behind only Tadej Pogacar, began the Volta a Catalunya with pristine form, taking lots of bonus seconds throughout the opening four stages of the race, in which the sprinters took most of the spotlight.

However that would ultimately lead to nothing. On stage 5, Pidcock was one of the many riders who crashed on the technical descent off the Collada Sobirana. Often known as a downhill specialist, it was a mistimed feeding moment and an unexpectedly sharp corner which ultimately saw him unable to break and crash down a ravine.

He found himself lucky however that the crash didn't bare worst consequences: “I was drinking on the descent and misjudged a corner. I overshot it and went down the ravine. It was like one of these horror crashes you see, but I’m very lucky that I am okay.”

However not everything is as bright as one could assume. Fractures have been excluded, however Pidcock is not walking injury-free. This morning he is not taking to the start of stage 6 in Berga, with injuries in several parts of his body.

Team doctor Lorenz Emmert went into further detail on the Briton's injuries: “Due to his crash he suffered injuries, most likely bone and ligament damage in particular to his right knee and also right wrist".

Whilst this does not immediately put his spring campaign in jeopardy, knee injuries can be lingering and pose a big threat not only to his ability to race, but to do high-quality training. It will be necessary to evaluate the recovery further but if Pidcock begins to lose significant training time, he may lose the fitness he's built over the past few months ahead of a key period of his season.

"Unfortunately we had to make the decision to take him out of the race. Further clinical evaluation and imaging will follow in the next days additionally to the already initiated healing process.”