Season over for Tom Pidcock - INEOS do not select Briton to Lombardia despite great form
Cycling
Tom Pidcock was set to be the leader of INEOS Grenadiers for the final monument of the season, Il Lombardia, but a late change in selection sees the Briton out of the lineup. It's unclear why this is, but the British team will be racing the final monument of the season without a leader after Pidcock finished second only behind Tadej Pogacar at the Giro dell'Emilia.
Perhaps it was not part of Pidcock's plan to race the mountainous monument, but taking into consideration his form and presence in the preliminary startlist, it does come as a surprise. He was replaced with Ethan Hayter in the lineup who won't realistically have a chance to fight for a result. The team will most likely focus on the breakaway as Thymen Arensman comes in without showing good form recently; and the lineup is completed by Jonathan Castroveijo, Brandon Rivera, Ben Swift, Connor Swift and Ben Turner. Most of the team's climbers are absent - including Carlos Rodríguez, Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas and Laurens de Plus.
Pidcock has recently been linked with a possible move to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team this winter despite still having three seasons left in his contract. He has been consistently performing strongly in Mountain Biking but on the road, the Briton has had no progress this year and with the huge salary that he has in INEOS Grenadiers, alongside some comments he said throughout the year, it has opened up a big debate regarding his future beyond this season and whether he will continue to race for INEOS or not. This Saturday, Tadej Pogacar will be the ultimate favourite in the Italian classic, which has seen a last-minute route change due to landslides and risk of floods in certain areas of the course.
INEOS Grenadiers for Il Lombardia:
Ethan Hayter
Thymen Arensman
Jonathan Castroviejo
Brandon Rivera
Ben Swift
Connor Swift
Ben Turner
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