"Riders used to call them the 'Death Star' from Star Wars" - Tom Pidcock tasked with shouldering the 'foreboding pressures' of INEOS leadership according to US experts

After a well documented rocky spell following his controversial Il Lombardia deselection, things are starting to sound more positive between Tom Pidcock and the INEOS Grenadiers in recent weeks. After performance staff changes and some recent positive comments, Pidcock is set to head into 2025 full of renewed optimism.

As noted by US cycling experts Bob Roll and Brent Bookwalter though, the pressures of leading the INEOS Grenadiers into the new era can be a lot to put on a rider. "At least some of the soundbites have been more positive from Tom Pidcock recently," begins Roll, with former BMC and Mitchelton Scott rider Bookwalter in agreement on NBC Sports Cycling's Beyond the Podium podcast. "Yeah, I'm liking what I've seen from Tom's quotes recently. I love how Tom is starting to shift his focus to that positive and hopeful point of view."

Although slightly different from their all-conquering dominance INEOS / Team Sky held over the peloton when Bookwalter himself was riding, things have been much quieter in recent years. That hasn't lessened the pressures of being a leader and in Pidcock's case, arguably the face of the team though. "What I continue to hear in Tom's quotes is that immense pressure of the INEOS organisation," the 40-year-old ex-pro notes. "A lot of riders used to call them the 'Death Star' from Star Wars. Just foreboding and you can still feel that in Tom's quotes. The pressure of the 'Death Star' just crushing down."

"He's shouldering a big weight," continues Bookwalter. "They've really had to try and reinvent that organisation after the horrific crash of Egan Bernal over the past few years and a lot of that pressure has fallen on the shoulders of Tom Pidcock and he's still trying to do it all. What's amazing to me is that he's still mountain biking at the highest level, the past couple of years he's still been riding cyclocross and he's still been good on road racing calendar and good at the Tour de France, although maybe not as good last year."

"He's still young too, so all the potential in the world for Tom Pidcock. It's just he's carrying the weight of a nation and a massive, massive organisation and one that's in a tough, transitional moment right now," the American concludes. "But I love that we're hearing Pidcock say: 'At the end of the day, I've got to get back to enjoying this. Because if I'm not enjoying it, I'm not inspired and then it's all for nothing.' That's the most sensible and brilliant soundbite I've heard from Pidcock in a long time."