Rod Ellingworth thinks Tom Pidcock can "take a step further" at this year's Tour de France

Tom Pidcock hopes to "go a step further" at the Tour de France this year, according to Ineos Grenadiers' boss Rod Ellingworth, who spoke to media ahead of Tour de France's Grande Départ in Bilbao.

"I think he's still got some work to do to be a general contender for the GC, that's for sure,” Ellingworth said. "It's like a stepping stone towards his future dreams and ambitions, he's certainly got ambitions in the Tour but as we've agreed with him, he's got some other objectives he wants to achieve on that journey too."

"He would certainly like to go a step further than his achievements last year, let’s say that. As a debutant last year winning a stage was a huge start. To be honest with you, I think he really felt how big the Tour was for the first time and I think it really got him engaged in the Tour and got him thinking actually I’d love to be part of this in the bigger picture."

"Although this is where I feel these guys can't fail really, every step is a learning curve. He’s at that point in his career where even when he takes a knock it’s a moment of right, reflect on yourself and then move on. I'm pretty sure we're going to see a better Tom Pidcock than what we saw in Suisse," Ellingworth said. "He was actually going quite well, he just got it a bit wrong going in and paid the price."