"At INEOS everyone is pulling the fire alarm now" - Lance Armstrong sends warning to Tom Pidcock and co

There's no hiding the fact that of late, the INEOS Grenadiers haven't been at the level expected. Some questionable transfer business, behind the scenes turmoil and a relative lack of standout results have seen them slip from world's best a few years ago, to also rans in 2024.

These concerns haven't gone unnoticed either. On the latest episode of Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel's The Move podcast, the topic of the underachieving INEOS Grenadiers was discussed. Like many in the cycling world, both also sees issues within the current set up at INEOS.

"Look at Thomas Pidcock, who is a great rider by the way. He earns 4 million a year. That's the entire annual budget of Equipo Kern Pharma and they win three stages in the Vuelta," notes the controversial Armstrong, referencing the fact that whilst results have diminished for INEOS in recent years, the budget hasn't. "Believe me, at INEOS everyone is pulling the fire alarm now. It's sad to see."

"Everyone used to look at Team Sky as the model for success. Every rider was eager to ride for that team, but now there are doubts as to whether it is the right place," adds Johan Bruyneel. "After Dave Brailsford left, it seems like there is no one in charge anymore. The soul has gone out of it. They have 15 team managers, but who is actually leading the team?"

"The fact that important people like Daniel Bigham and Rod Ellingworth are leaving INEOS is a sign to me," Bruyneel concludes. "There will have to be a thorough restructuring."

Pidcock himself recently touched on the issues and admitted all is not well at the moment. "Yes, it is true that there are a number of things within the team that I have to deal with at the moment. And to be honest, they do not help me to perform optimally," the Brit told HLN from the Tour of Britain.