Pidcock changes schedule to ride Liege

Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) will extend his spring to Sunday to make his debut at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in a late decision to extend his road season.

Thomas Pidcock of INEOS Grenadiers and Wout Van Aert of Jumbo - Visma throw to the finish of Amstel Gold. Source: Getty

The British neo-pro was initially expected to end his first Classics campaign at La Flèche Wallonne, where he placed sixth on Wednesday, but he will now line up at what will already be his third Monument this weekend.

Pidcock was expected to not participate in the race after a heavy schedule leading in and an expectation that he would spend a period preparing for his participation in the mountain-bike at the Tokyo Olympics.

His Ardennes races to date have been eventful, to say the least.

He finished four-thousandths of a second off winner Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in Amstel Gold - in a photo finish that was the subject of a lot of post-race speculation - and then was sixth in Fleche Wallonne after falling in a late accident.

Pidcock was caught up in a crash with 28km to go but was helped back to the front of the race. On the final ramp of the Mur de Huy young Brit looked to follow a powerful acceleration from Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), eventually finishing sixth.

Pidcock looked irate after the Amstel Gold finish, with the run of results and near-wins perhaps fuelling his desire to bounce back at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"I should have started first because I was faster. That is a great learning moment," he said after Amstel Gold. "I gave Wout a small gap for the sprint, but we were too close to the finish. I was too far behind him and should have stayed in his wheel.

"I did ride a good race. I think I was the strongest in the race and I am happy with that feeling. But it’s frustrating that the difference is so small."

The remainder of the INEOS Grenadiers list is Adam Yates, Michal Kwiatkowski, Richard Carapaz, and Tao Geoghegan Hart. That leaves two more spots, with Gianni Moscon likely to fill one after two stage wins at the Tour of the Alps.