A puncture at the worst possible moment ends Pidcock's spring at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Tom Pidcock could play no part in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. The 26-year-old Briton from Pinarello-Q36.5 came into the Monument off the back of a surprisingly successful week at the Tour of the Alps — and it was the race he had built his entire spring around. The day, however, did not go as he might have hoped.

As is well known by now, Pidcock crashed into a ravine at the Volta a Catalunya when he was riding superbly. His recovery was almost miraculous: he made the start of the Tour of the Alps and immediately defied logic by winning a stage. On the final day he was in the breakaway and afterwards spoke cheerfully of having found a lot of form. At the team presentation on Saturday, however, he stayed realistic. Five good days were five good days — the form he had carried into Catalunya could not possibly be back yet.

He had also said during the Tour of the Alps that the level at La Doyenne was usually a different proposition altogether. He came to Liège looking for a good day's racing and, hopefully, some UCI points for the team. "I wouldn't put me in your fantasy team," he laughed.

Despite all that caution, Pidcock was still sitting comfortably in the peloton heading towards the final 100 kilometres. Remco Evenepoel had already spent half the race in the large early break, so the pace in the bunch had been relentless throughout.

While UAE Team Emirates-XRG drilled it on the front through Tim Wellens, trying to bring the front group back before the finale, Pidcock punctured. Normally that wouldn't be much of a problem — but with UAE flat-out, the timing could hardly have been worse. Pidcock found himself in a small chase group at first less than a minute back, but soon a minute and a half adrift. He didn't give up, but it was clear he wouldn't be returning to the favourites.

Sports director Gianluca Brambilla was understandably frustrated by the moment, given that Pinarello-Q36.5 had committed fully to a result around their leader. "We believed in it — also with Quinten Hermans and Sjoerd Bax in the group with Evenepoel."

But the Italian saw it slip away. "The puncture at a critical moment threw all our tactical plans into disarray. We were prepared down to the last detail — but Xandro Meurisse, who had stopped to help Tom, then punctured himself. That was the race over for us."

Pidcock found himself isolated, but with a long way still to ride he kept going to the finish. He came in with the last group of five, more than 16 minutes down. "It didn't fall our way, but it's an important learning experience," Brambilla said.

A busy spring is now over for Pidcock. He opened his season in February at the wind-shortened Vuelta a Murcia, where he finished third. He was second at the Clásica Jaén, third overall at the Ruta del Sol with a stage win, and rode strongly through the Italian opening to the season.

Pidcock came seventh at Strade Bianche — partly through a mechanical at the precise moment Pogačar attacked. He bounced back to win Milan-Turin and then narrowly lost the sprint to Pogačar at Milan-San Remo.

In Catalunya he had been looking to put the finishing touches on his Ardennes preparation. The crash into the ravine cost him La Brabançonne, the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne. The Tour of the Alps and Liège at least gave him the racing miles he needed before a long training block.

In principle, we won't see him race again until June, at the Tour de Suisse. That will be his only preparation race for the Tour de France.