OPINION: Tom Pidcock’s time at INEOS Grenadiers has always been doomed to fail

We’re about a month into the off season now, and it’s already feeling like an eternity since the peloton’s best riders were in action. In 2024 we were treated to a historic triple crown from Tadej Pogacar, a monument double for Mathieu van der Poel in rainbow, and Olympic history from Remco Evenepoel.

What we certainly weren’t treated to, was a stellar year from the INEOS Grenadiers. No, in fact, 2024 could well have been INEOS’ worst year to date, and their star rider Tom Pidcock was underwhelming at best. Rumours of Pidcock leaving the team have been a huge topic of the off-season so far, as have the ongoing changes in the managerial set up at INEOS.

But, for all the talent of Pidcock, and for all the financial resources and previous success of the INEOS Grenadiers, one can’t help wonder if this partnership was always doomed to fail. In this article, we’ll look at what’s gone wrong over the past two seasons, and whether the characters and styles of Pidcock and INEOS could ever have truly gelled.

To understand what’s gone wrong between the two, we need to rewind back to that incredible day on Alpe d’Huez during the 2022 Tour de France. On that day, Pidcock took on one of cycling’s most legendary climbs and emerged victorious against elite competition, including former INEOS legend Chris Froome. This victory was significant not just because of the mystic Alpe d’Huez climb, but because it seemed to be the arrival of INEOS’ next big general classification contender. Tom Pidcock had announced himself to the road racing world.

The win raised expectations, painting Pidcock as the natural successor to the team’s legacy of GC winners like Froome, Thomas, and Bernal. INEOS, a team historically known for their calculated and resource-heavy approach, appeared to have found their new leader. The future seemed bright for both Pidcock and the team, leading to anticipation amongst fans of what was to come.

After the glory of the stage win in 2022, Pidcock was expected to take big steps forward and become INEOS’ new GC man. This is something they’ve been desperately searching for, ever since Egan Bernal’s crash in 2022. But was this something the Yorkshire man managed to do?

In the 2023 Tour de France, Tom Pidcock stepped up as the GC leader for the team, with a new level of expectation upon him after his performance in 2022. His initial showings were promising, but as the race intensified, Pidcock's performance faltered. By the middle stages, it became clear that he couldn't sustain the power and endurance required to challenge the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, and this culminated in Carlos Rodriguez usurping Pidcock as the team’s main GC focus. Rodriguez's subsequent stage victory and impressive results shifted the spotlight, highlighting the surprising gap between Pidcock’s GC capabilities and the level required to mix it with the big men over three weeks.

The 13th place Pidcock secured in the final general classification was only marginally better than his 2022 finish, despite now being the main GC rider. The tension in team was clear, with behind-the-scenes footage from Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained highlighting tensions between Pidcock and team director Steve Cummings.

Things then got worse in 2024. Pidcock started the season off brightly and picked up a big win at the Amstel Gold Race, and he and his team were optimistic ahead of the Tour de France. However, the season soon took a challenging turn. Despite showing flashes of brilliance, such as narrowly missing a win on the gravel stage 9 of the Tour, Pidcock and INEOS failed to deliver upon expectations. The team didn’t pick up a single stage win, and Pidcock’s race was marred by his eventual withdrawal due to illness from COVID-19, as he went a second year in a row without a Tour stage win.

While Pidcock was superb in defending his Olympic gold mountain biking title, speculation about his future at INEOS intensified. Reports surfaced that he did not see eye to eye with Cummings, and many ex-pros and experts highlighted their belief that the partnership was coming to an end. The relationship was further damaged by Pidcock's exclusion from the Il Lombardia roster on the eve of the race, despite showing good form in the warm-up Italian races. The decision, seen by many as a reaction to transfer rumours, added fuel to the fire of a relationship that was already sparking out of control.

The tension between Tom Pidcock and INEOS Grenadiers has left his future at the team uncertain. While Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team were initially rumoured as a potential destination, negotiations fell apart, and there’s since been a lull in the Pidcock-transfer rumour mill. Despite this, other teams such as Red-Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, and even Visma Lease a Bike, are said to be fishing around and enquiring about Pidcock’s availability.

The winning formula at INEOS Grenadiers during the 2010s was often centred around disciplined, focused, and humble riders. That’s not to say Pidcock isn’t disciplined, or focussed, but does he have the right to demand GC privileges from his team given his performance so far on the road?

Chris Froome was renowned for his measured personality, and commitment to the team’s strategic approach. Geraint Thomas was no stranger to a joke, and has never denied enjoying himself during the off season, but the Welshman remained largely grounded and team-oriented, as did Egan Bernal, whose youthful but composed character perfectly suited INEOS’ vision of a GC leader.

Pidcock, by contrast, is known for his brash confidence, a trait that has fuelled his individual successes but may have clashed with INEOS’ structured ethos. His arrogance, albeit justified by his achievements, resembles Bradley Wiggins more than the other Team Sky/INEOS champions. The one key difference is that Wiggins brought an established road pedigree that Pidcock has yet to fully match. While Wiggins’ confidence was tolerated and even celebrated following his Tour win, Pidcock’s big personality could be seen as premature from his team without a comparable result on the road.

Let’s get one thing straight: Tom Pidcock is an unbelievably talented bike racer. He’s got two Olympic gold medals in mountain biking, he’s a cyclocross champion, and he’s a Tour de France stage winner. On that front, he’s alongside Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in terms of versatility, but that’s where he may find his problem. Neither van der Poel or van Aert have ever claimed to be GC men, they’re superb riders on and off road, capable of winning any race on any given day. But could they win a race over 3 weeks? No, they probably could not.

Pidcock does of course have better physiological attributes for GC racing compared to Van der Poel and Van Aert, as he has a smaller and slighter frame. But he’s competing in an era of true GC greatness, in terms of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel. If Pidcock really wants to mix it with them, he’s probably going to have to spend less time on his mountain and cyclocross bikes.

While his talent is undeniable, Pidcock’s status as a GC contender in grand tours remains uncertain, especially when compared to the level of the current riders making it to grand tour podiums. He might need to take another approach, potentially targeting another grand tour for the experience, before attempting the Tour de France again. Whether with INEOS or a new team, Pidcock’s path to GC success requires finding the right environment that supports both his ambitions and personality. And at this point, it doesn’t look as if he’ll find that environment with the INEOS Grenadiers.