Sean Kelly critical of INEOS: "It’s not been good for Tom Pidcock in that environment. It’s impossible to compete at the best level"

The ongoing saga involving Tom Pidcock and the INEOS Grenadiers continues to dominate the headlines in the cycling world. After the Brit star was controversially left out of the team's Il Lombardia lineup in a last minute call by upper management, Pidcock reacted strongly on his official Instagram account and now seems set for a transfer.

"Just as things were on the up after a turbulent end to the year I am deselected for Lombardia tomorrow," wrote the double Olympic mountain bike champion in reaction to his Il Lombardia snub. "I am in great shape and was really looking forwarded to it! Good luck to the boys, I guess off season starts early. Thanks for everyone’s support even in the tough times."

Ever since, notable voices in the cycling world including Pidcock's own INEOS Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas have come out to cast blame on one side or the other. In the opinion of legendary Irishman Sean Kelly however, it's the INEOS Grenadiers that need to look themselves in the mirror after this latest piece of drama.

“We have been reading about how things are going at INEOS. It’s not been easy for Pidcock and Kurt (Bogaerts, Pidcock's coach ed.). I talk to Kurt pretty regularly, and I’ve been talking to him about it," explains 'King Kelly' in conversation with Velo. “I think since last year and the 2023 Tour de France, the relationship hasn’t been good. It’s not been good for Pidcock in that environment. It’s impossible to compete at the best level. They’re talking now about the salary he’s getting and that he hasn’t been performing. But if you’re trying to do road bike, mountain bike, cyclocross, it’s impossible to be at your best on the road. So that decision has to be made.”

As such, Kelly feels it might be time for Pidcock to focus solely on the road. “The bike brands want you to do multiple disciplines. And then maybe the main sponsor only wants him to do road. It’s a bit of a complicated one,” he muses. “I think if he wants to really focus on the road, he’s going to have to concentrate 100 percent on the road. Maybe some cyclocross before the season starts. Late December, that sort of thing, like we see some of the guys doing. But if you do a lot of cyclocross and then try and do mountain bike, that’s complicated. It is a discipline you have to go away and practice for. And then you have to do the events to qualify for the start grid in the mountain bike worlds or Olympics. If that’s what the sponsor wants, it has to be done. But it really upsets your road program, your road preparation.”

“It all comes down to sponsors, if they can agree what they want to do. If they want it to be just road only, then he has to try and do that," the Irishman concludes. "But if the bike manufacturers want him to do mountain biking as well, well then you have to just try and work something out.”