Tom Pidcock will not be at the start of the Tour of Switzerland 2026, confirmation has come from the team selections released by Pinarello Q36.5 which see the British rider removed from the list. The reason is straightforward: the two-time Olympic mountain bike champion is recovering from the aftermath of an illness that struck him during the team's altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, and the squad has decided to give him some time to recover before the crucial and imminent commitment of the Tour de France 2026.

Pinarello Q36.5 confirms

Pinarello Q36.5 has published an update on its official website confirming Tom Pidcock's absence from the start list of the Tour of Switzerland 2026 scheduled to begin tomorrow, June 17: "Following several days of training lost during the team's altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada due to a mild viral infection, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has decided to modify Tom Pidcock's race schedule for the month of June, in order to allow him greater recovery and training time". The statement reveals that the British rider is disappointed not to be able to take part in the team's home race, where he would have had the opportunity to challenge Tadej Pogačar over the course of the five stages on the program. Pidcock will now return to Andorra to continue training and, if positive developments occur, should return to racing at the Andorra MoraBanc Classica scheduled for June 21.

Target Tour de France 

At the moment, therefore, there is no excessive concern regarding the major objective of the Tour de France 2026 which will begin on July 4 with a team time trial in Barcelona, Spain. Pidcock's last race remains the Eschborn-Frankfurt on May 1 where he finished in second place, while in 2026 he has added to his road palmares a victory at the Tour of the Alps and one at the Vuelta a Andalucia and the Milano Torino. Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team will field at the Tour of Switzerland 2026: Fred Wright, Mikel Xiabier Azparren, Sjoerd Bax, Marcel Camprubi, Xandro Meurisse, Milan Vader and Walter Calzoni.