"One bad apple spoils the whole basket" - Jens Voigt understands INEOS' decision to cut ties with Tom Pidcock

The relationship between the INEOS Grenadiers and Tom Pidcock is no more. After four seasons together, the double Olympic champion has been granted his departure by mutual consent following unrest in the team over the last year.

"A lot has gone wrong in the relationship between INEOS Grenadiers and Tom Pidcock," analyses Eurosport expert Jens Voigt following confirmation of the Brit's departure. "At INEOS, I had the impression that they wanted to try to get Pidcock into the overall ranking of the Tour de France this year. Despite all the class he has as a double Olympic champion, that's just not for him. He is too aggressive and too spectacular to hide and only accelerate when the other favourites are pulling ahead. He could certainly win ten Tour stages and a few classics in the next few years, but it doesn't fit his rider profile to finish a Grand Tour on the podium."

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"Tom still wants to compete in mountain bike and cross races alongside the road. But that's not what INEOS wants as a road team. That's why I think the two sides just didn't agree on anything fundamental," the vastly experienced German continues. "In addition, the sports director Steve Cummings was fired before the Vuelta a Espana because there was apparently a difference of opinion with Pidcock. In principle, it was already clear that there would be no happy ending. Because if a rider can decide who works in a team, then something is seriously wrong."

Given the fact that Pidcock had a contract with INEOS secured until 2027 though, it's slightly surprising that the team allowed their star rider to leave so easily. In Voigt's opinion however, the choice makes perfect sense for the greater good. "It is still rare in cycling that contracts are simply terminated. But if a rider wants to leave, it makes no sense to force him to stay. One bad apple spoils the whole basket," Voigt ponders. "Perhaps an agreement could be reached that he buys his way out of his contract and pays off the remaining term, or the new team takes over part of it. Or perhaps INEOS said: 'Tom, the tablecloth is cut, let's tear up the contract and we can go our separate ways.'"

"INEOS is no longer one of the top teams in the World Tour. They haven't won a Grand Tour for years and are now fighting to reorient themselves," Voigt adds. "Most of the sporting officials left the team and moved to the Manchester United football club after Jim Ratcliffe bought in. At the moment, INEOS Grenadiers seems to be a bit of a stepchild among the investors, sitting in the corner and nobody wants to play with them."

Pidcock's biggest victory on the road for INEOS is arguably his Tour de France stage success

As for Pidcock though, Voigt believes if managed correctly, this move could see the Brit flourish. "Tom Pidcock has to find a team where he is the sole king - like Mathieu van der Poel at Alpecin-Deceuninck. He needs a team that lets him decide his calendar. That's different with a big racing team. They say: we'll pay you and tell you when you'll ride. He will probably have to move to a smaller team that is still financially strong enough to afford him," he says. "He is strongly linked with Q36.5, where Vincenzo Nibali works as an advisor. There he would certainly have the freedom to decide what he wants. But the choice he has is small. There aren't many teams left that have room in the squad and the means to accommodate him."

"He has a healthy self-confidence without being arrogant. He just knows how good he is. He told us that he wants to be the first rider to be world champion in mountain bike, cross and road in one year. And that's not idiocy, he actually has a realistic chance of doing it. He may not always be easy, but genius and madness often go hand in hand. It's always a balancing act when you bring in such a strong athlete," Voigt concludes. "Pidcock also rides with the Red Bull helmet, so it's logical to think about this connection. But at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe he wouldn't get the freedom he needs to ride cyclocross and mountain bikes in addition to the road."

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