Pinarello-Q36.5 still holding on to Pidcock hope for Ardennes, but it may be wishful thinking

Pidcock crashed at around 60 kilometres per hour on a descent in the Volta a Catalunya last week and ended up in a ravine. At first, the Brit appeared able to continue relatively unharmed and still reached the finish, but the extent of the damage only became clear afterwards.

Via social media, Pidcock himself informed that he had suffered bruising to his right tibia and fibula, with small stress cracks or fractures also present. He also reported injuries to the ALL, MCL and LCL — the different ligaments around the knee, though not the cruciate ligament — while a small piece of bone had come loose on the front/outside of the area.

“I still think I’m incredibly lucky. A stupid mistake to throw away my good shape, but now it’s just about trying to get back on the bike as soon as possible,” Pidcock said the day after the crash. Exactly how quickly that will be remains uncertain. His spring programme had been built around Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège before the setback in Catalonia.

“The swelling has already gone down a bit, but it really is a day-by-day situation,” said the experienced German sports director Zemke after Dwars door Vlaanderen. “We are in daily contact with the team’s medical staff about it, but at the moment we really do not know yet whether he will still be able to start in the Ardennes.”

'This is a problem in and around the knee, which can always go several ways,' Zemke knows from experience. In other words, it can be over quickly, but it can also drag on for a “It concerns an issue in and around the knee, and that can always go in different directions,” Zemke added from experience. In other words: it may clear up quickly, but it could also drag on for a long time. Pidcock — who was on top form in Milan-Sanremo - will not return until it is deemed medically justified.

That leaves Pidcock in a race against the clock, having targeted Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The uncertainty is also a major blow for Pinarello-Q36.5, which has already had to deal with setbacks involving signings Fred Wright, Eddie Dunbar and Quinten Hermans. Zemke could only fold his hands in front of his face and hope for the best. “We really hope Tom will be fit in time.”