Tom Pidcock OUT of Tour de Suisse - Illness forces British rider to rethink Tour de France build-up

Tom Pidcock is out of the 2026 Tour de Suisse as an illness has forced him to retink his preparations for the Tour de France. The British rider was forced to take a number of days off training and has opted not to ride, and instead change his build-up to the grand tour.

The Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader was due to renew hostilities with rival Tadej Pogacar in the WorldTour stage race on Wednesday, but a mild viral infection now means that he needs more time to sharpen the tools ahead of the Tour Grand Depart on July 4th.

Pidcock could now be lined up to make his return at the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica on June 21st, however that participation will depend on his recovery. The news certainly represents a setback for rider and team, who left their Sierra Nevada training camp to return to Andorra where he is planning to pick back up training.

Pidcock previously said he approaches the upcoming Tour in July without a fixed target, garnering excitement with fans unsure what way he will attack the race.

“This year I’m not going with any expectations,” Pidcock said. “I want to race, and I want to have fun, and the rest will come. If I’m not saying, ‘Okay, I want to win a stage, I want to podium, I want to be top five,’ or whatever it is, then there is nothing to fail at. I have to enjoy to perform. I’m not the person who can perform off anger.”

He also warned about the spotlight and pressure that comes with the race: “The Tour is such an intense place. The spotlight and the media pressure and the questions. You feel good and then maybe you do rubbish, or you feel really bad and people are asking if you are one of the favourites for the day."

"If it is not going well, it is miserable. It is not a nice place. But it is the biggest race in the world. It is the coolest race in the world. It is the race I grew up watching. When it goes well, there is not a better place to perform.”