“Tom Pidcock’s puncture at a critical moment disrupted everything” - Q36.5's best laid plans unravel in Liège-Bastogne-Liège chaos

The chaotic opening to Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 immediately put Tom Pidcock on the back foot, and just as the race threatened to reset, a puncture at the worst possible moment ended any realistic chance of recovery.

“The race was chaotic from kilometre zero,” said sports director Gianluca Brambilla post-race. “We were in a strong position with two riders up front - Hermans and Bax - and we believed we could achieve a solid result.”

That early situation reflected how well the team had adapted to the explosive opening phase, placing Quinten Hermans and Sjoerd Bax into the front group as the race split apart.

But that advantage would not last. “Unfortunately, Tom Pidcock’s puncture at such a critical moment disrupted all the tactical plans we had prepared with great attention to detail,” Brambilla explained.

The timing of that incident proved decisive. As the early split began to come back together under increasing pressure, Pidcock was forced into a bike change, leaving him immediately on the back foot in a race already being ridden at full intensity.

The team attempted to respond, but the situation quickly spiralled.

“On top of that, Xandro Meurisse, who had stopped to support Tom, also suffered a puncture shortly after restarting,” Brambilla added. “At that point, the gap became extremely difficult to close, as the strongest teams were pushing hard at the front. The race was effectively gone.”

Up to that moment, Pinarello Q36.5 had been racing exactly as planned. With numbers in the key move and a leader positioned to capitalise, the foundations were there for a competitive result in a race that had already defied expectations with its aggressive early phase.

Instead, the focus shifted entirely. “There’s not much more to add - today didn’t go our way,” Brambilla said. “But it’s an important learning experience for the riders in one of the toughest races on the calendar.”

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 offered little room for recovery once things began to go wrong. The early splits, relentless pace and constant pressure meant that even a brief mechanical issue carried race-ending consequences.

For Pidcock and his team, the combination of strong positioning and sudden misfortune ultimately defined their day. A race that had briefly offered opportunity was decided instead by a moment they could not control. And in a Monument shaped by chaos, that was enough to end their chances.