Almost no cobbled classics again for Tom Pidcock, but a busy start to the season

Tom Pidcock is setting his goals for the first half of 2026 again on the hill classics. With this, the leader of Pinarello-Q36.5 chooses the same approach as last year, when he skipped almost all the Flemish classics.

At that time, Pidcock’s choice was related to his plans later in the season, particularly regarding the Grand Tours. “We are still waiting for news about the wildcards for the Giro d’Italia. If I were to ride the Giro, it would be too much to also include the cobbled classics. If the Giro is not on the agenda, then things would be different,” he said to our camera back then.

That wildcard eventually came through, and Pidcock therefore opted out of nearly all the Flemish races. Only Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was on his schedule at the time, and it is again set for February 28th this year.

Before that, Pidcock will already have eight race days under his belt, as he will compete in the Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia, Clasica Jaen, and the Vuelta a Andalucía. One week later comes Strade Bianche, followed by Milan-Turin and Milan-San Remo two weeks after that.

From then on, Pidcock’s focus shifts to the hill races. Through the Vuelta a Catalunya, the talented Brit will prepare himself for the Ardennes Classics. “The program is very similar to previous years. But by adding some new races, it all feels fresh,” he notes.

“We also make plenty of room for training blocks and divide the program into different periods to ensure I am ready for the races that matter the most.”