"Sir Jim Ratcliffe is fed up with his toy" - Johan Bruyneel doubts future of INEOS Grenadiers amidst Tom Pidcock debacle

Clearly, all is not well at the INEOS Grenadiers currently. Murmurs of discontent behind the scenes have lingered throughout the season, questionable activity in the transfer market has left some doubts and last weekend, things reached boiling point as upper management made the call to 'deselect' Tom Pidcock from the team's lineup for Il Lombardia.

Although Pidcock is viewed by many as the face of the modern INEOS Grenadiers team, the cross-discipline superstar now seems likely to depart for pastures new as the likes of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and even Team Visma | Lease a Bike reportedly circle like sharks for the Brit's signature going forward. 

As confusion seemingly takes hold over those currently at INEOS Grenadiers, with even the team's senior figure, Geraint Thomas admitting he doesn't have a clue what is going on, the topic of Pidcock and INEOS was discussed in the latest episode of The Move podcast.

"It is clear to me that Pidcock and INEOS are at the end of the road. I don't see how we are going to get out of this. I think INEOS wants to cut back and get rid of Pidcock's expensive contract," assesses the controversial Johan Bruyneel. "I don't know what his deselection is based on, but it comes from higher up, from the management. Apparently there are seven people in the management and not many of them know anything about cycling. I know about one, and I don't even think he knows much about cycling; and he must know the most."

In the old Team Sky days, Sir Dave Brailsford was the main man, spearheading the marginal gains charge that saw the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and the aforementioned Thomas take Tour de France victory. After INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently shifted the majority of his focus to English football giant Manchester United however, Brailsford was drafted to Old Trafford, taking him away from the cycling world.

"He is not in that team, he is the head of INEOS Sport Performance, the whole project; and I think he is mainly focusing on football now. I find it strange that he is now suddenly so detached from the cycling team, which he took to the absolute top. In the Team Sky years they did great, and he was responsible for it," ponders Bruyneel. "We've talked before about how we don't understand who the team recruits, only to see surprising names leave. The alarm bells first went off for me when their head team manager Steve Cummings was pushed aside for the Tour de France. He had to stay home and the team came up with a ridiculous statement that he would be running things from home; it doesn't make sense."

As such, Bruyneel is worried for INEOS Grenadiers' future prospects. "Ratcliffe is fed up with his toy. You can also see it in the riders they sign; they haven't signed a big rider, and Pidcock is their big talent," concludes Bruyneel. "They have mainly signed talents and haven't signed expensive contracts. So no big investments have been made. I see it as the beginning of the end for team INEOS. They will definitely still be there next year. I have my doubts about 2026."