INEOS Grenadiers would be happy to let Tom Pidcock go according to Dutch experts: "In the Tour de France, the first thing he said was that he would not ride for anyone"

Tom Pidcock has become quite a divisive figure in the cycling community of late. Although some appreciate his multi-discipline success and put the Brit close to on a par with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, others are critical of the Olympic MTB champion's somewhat inconsistent form on the road and his seeming lack of teamwork.

On the latest episode of Eurosport's Kop over Kop podcast, Pidcock's future, following rumours of interest from the likes of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team were a topic of discussion. "I don't think there is a vision behind Pidcock's program," argues Thijs van Amerongen. "The mountain biking went well, but on the road you can't say that he has made a step this year. His program is a bit vague and it goes in all directions."

"At the beginning of the year there were general classification ambitions, but I think he's doing what he wants and it's going in all directions. He decides where he's going to ride and what his goals are," Van Amerongen continues. "Of course he's in a golden cage there. I think they're arranging everything perfectly for him, but if he wants to take a step, another team wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't know if it should be Q36.5 and the question is whether INEOS will let him go."

At first glance, the prospect of Pidcock dropping down to a second tier Swiss team might seem far fetched. According to Bobbie Traksel the move could make perfect sense for all parties involved. "The money comes from the richest sugar daddy in the cycling world who made his money with mines. That man has a fortune of 8.8 billion dollars. They have a different tactic there than Israel Premier Tech. Here they want to grow step by step, but they are now fanatical on the transfer market," Traksel explains. "I think they (INEOS Grenadiers) would actually be happy with it. In the Tour de France, the first thing he said was that he would not ride for anyone and would only do his own thing. That is no longer possible. I had thought he would go to Bora, but that is still possible."