Tom Pidcock must learn to suffer and accept defeat on his road back to Liège

Tom Pidcock is not built to simply ride along, get dropped and lose. But at his comeback race in the Tour of the Alps, that is exactly what the Pinarello-Q36.5 rider is going to have to learn to accept. Despite an encouraging result on stage one, it is clear that the heavy crash in Catalonia has robbed him of the superb early spring form he had worked so hard to build up. His team are doing their best to keep pushing him.

That Pidcock was even on the start line on Monday could already be called a medical miracle. After his fall into a ravine in the Volta a Catalunya, the all-rounder looked set for a lengthy absence — yet he was back on the bike in just three weeks. On Sunday, at the team presentation before the race, he was still quietly talking up his own chances to the press. Monday changed all that.

Despite finishing second in what became a bunch sprint, Pidcock described it as 'the worst day on the bike of my life'. Directeur sportif Gabriele Missaglia was able to laugh about it when speaking to IDL Pro Cycling at the start of stage 2 on Tuesday morning. "It was a good result — better than I expected. Tom is simply not in form at the moment, he hasn't ridden for nearly two weeks."

"During the stage he was suffering a great deal. Over the radio he told us several times that he wasn't feeling okay. But we pushed him a little to keep his morale up," the Italian said. "I know Tom — when the finish line comes into view, it's like a red rag to a bull. Something changes in his head, and that was the case again on Monday. Second place was not bad. We were happy with that."

Before the start of stage two, Missaglia emphasised that Pidcock had not experienced any physical pain on the first day. But the impact of the Catalonia crash — and particularly the enforced period of inactivity that followed — is clearly significant. "I know that Tom has never in his life been off the bike for more than ten days, so his engine has had to reset somewhat."

Coach Kurt Bogaerts echoed that after the second stage, in which Pidcock finished 76th, nearly seven minutes down, on the first mountain stage of the week. "I've already told Tom that even in the off-season he's working virtually every day. He never sits still. I don't think he's ever had a period of eleven days doing nothing in his career until now, to recover from the injury to his knee."

That Pidcock still arrived at the Tour of the Alps harbouring quiet ambitions is something Bogaerts understands. "He was in superb form in Catalonia, and that was his last race memory. Then he disappeared and didn't know where he stood — but the reality check came quickly. He realised that we race at an extremely high level and that what he's going through is completely normal in this situation."

It took Pidcock a little longer to come to terms with where he is right now. According to Bogaerts, the reality only fully landed after the first stage. "It's difficult to accept, but by Tuesday it already felt better mentally. Tom has a clearer picture of the situation now and understands why we're here. We just need to race five days, make progress and climb."

After a spring of one-day races and a punchy Ruta del Sol, a week of proper climbing is exactly what Pidcock needs. "That's also what we missed in Catalonia, because of the crash. So it's good that he's here. A week ago, I would have signed for the scenario where he could start here. It's very good that he still has some race days before he goes into a rest and training block."

"The first goal — and it remains the only goal — is to suffer through every stage of this race and come out the other end in better shape," Missaglia added. "We talk to him a lot, but he's obviously not a normal rider. He's a leader and a true champion — he starts every race to win, not to train. Fortunately, we are realistic enough."

A starring role at Liège-Bastogne-Liège — the Monument he spent the entire spring building towards and where he still quietly hopes to perform — looks a stretch at this point. But Bogaerts stressed on Tuesday that form can return quickly. "He needs to push his limits every day and keep pressing, so that he gets a little further with each stage."

"We can assess the situation day by day, with Chris Harper, who is racing with the best despite a collarbone fracture, as an example. That's motivating for Tom too," said the Belgian coach, who is glad his rider is still accumulating racing days at the Tour of the Alps for more than just form reasons.

There is a scheduling consideration too. "He still needs a certain number of racing days, and after this there will be a period of training before the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France. That's why this is so important — without it, the gap from Catalonia to Switzerland would have been very long. Far from ideal."