In early March, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) was the only rider able to follow the trademark long race attack by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at Strade Bianche. Although he was eventually dropped, he held on for second place even with the tough climb to the finish line in Siena.
After a short break, the Briton returned to racing with a disappointing 11th place at Brabantse Pijl, followed by ninth at Amstel Gold, and then delivered his best performance yet at La Flèche Wallonne this past Wednesday.
In wet and cold conditions that have troubled him in the past, Pidcock secured a strong third place on the Mur de Huy and now heads into Liège-Bastogne-Liège full of confidence. Even more so as hot and sunny conditions are in the forecast for Sunday.
“I think it was a good performance for me in the rain,” Pidcock said. “I had a good recovery. I’ve just been kind of getting better from every race, and I have a good feeling about tomorrow.”
Pidcock’s top result at Liège came in 2023, when he finished second behind Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step). This year, world champion Pogačar stands as his biggest obstacle to claiming his first Monument win.
“We know how incredible he is. I think everyone's outlook on races changed a little bit, you know. We might be dealing with the next Eddy Merckx or whatever, so sometimes we feel we can be happy with a second place. But no, that's not my mentality, of course.
"We're going into the race to try and win. In Strade Bianche, I was certainly fairly close to him … So I think it's not all over before we start.”
In the Q36.5 team car, sports director Michael Albasini will be calling the shots. A veteran of Liège with 15 appearances and a runner-up finish in the snowy, freezing 2016 edition, Albasini expects the racing at Liège to unfold as it did at La Flèche.
“We saw in Amstel Gold Race that the long-range attack we know from Tadej Pogačar didn’t work. Therefore, Flèche saw a more traditional final,” Albasini said in a team release.
The 111th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège is 252 kilometres long with 11 classified climbs culminating with the finale of Côte de La Redoute, Côte des Forges and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons in the final 35 kilometres.
“We don’t know what the scenario will be on Sunday," Albasini added. "We are prepared for all of them, whether it’s a long move or whether it comes down to La Roche aux Faucons or a sprint in Liège.
"We did a good recon on Thursday. Positioning before the climbs is key in the second half of the race, so you don’t lose too much energy. It will be an interesting race as always.”
