Tom Pidcock returns to racing at Gent-Wevelgem ahead of anticipated Tour of Flanders start
Ineos Grenadiers ace returns to racing at Gent-Wevelgem after being sidelined by stomach issues.
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Tom Pidcock makes a surprise return to racing at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday ahead of a high-profile start at the Tour of Flanders.
Stomach problems saw Pidcock skip Strade Bianche at the turn of this month and abandon Milan-San Remo one week later.
The young Brit has been out of action since then and for an unexpected name on the team sheet when Ineos Grenadiers confirmed its selection for Gent-Wevelgem.
The team posted Saturday that Pidcock will ride alongside Dylan van Baarle, Elia Viviani and Jhonatan Narvaez in a multi-faceted septet for Sunday’s race.
Also Saturday, Ineos Grenadiers manager Rod Ellingworth told Cycling News that Pidcock is scheduled for Dwars door Vlaanderen ahead of De Ronde next weekend.
Also read: Pidcock classics campaign under threat after another stomach bug
“He’s alright, he’s been training well. He recovered pretty quickly after Milan-San Remo,” Ellingworth said. “He’s fine now, he’s been training okay and I think he’s looking forward to the classics.”
Ellingworth also suggested that the problem that forced Pidcock to abandon in the final 100km of San Remo was unrelated to the issue that forced him to withdraw ahead of Strade Bianche.
Pidcock is expected to race a full block of Ardennes classics ahead of making his debut at Liège-Bastogne-Liège later this spring.
We’re back on the cobbles 🔜
Here’s how we line up for @GentWevelgem tomorrow 👊 pic.twitter.com/KrDH0p2cOR
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) March 26, 2022