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"Tom Pidcock only has five victories on the road" - Martin and Bruyneel demand more from INEOS Grenadiers' star rider
CyclingThursday, 10 October 2024 at 09:57
Tom Pidcock is arguably the face of the current INEOS Grenadiers team. Over recent seasons though, there has been growing criticism over INEOS' perceived underperformance. According to Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel, that could have something to do with Pidcock's lack of victories.
"Pidcock only has five victories on the road," a stunned Martin announces on the latest episode of his, Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong's 'The Move' podcast. "He is an incredibly talented rider. I didn't want to insult him with that five wins comment. However, he needs to focus more on the road, or earn less money. He can win as many cyclo-cross or mountain bike races as he wants, but I don't think that French number two (Victor Koretzky, ed.) earns four million pounds a year at the Olympic Games. Pidcock gets paid a classification rider's salary."
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Indeed, despite being one of the best paid and most recognisable names in the peloton today, Pidcock has just five victories in his professional career. In 2021, the Brit starred at Brabantse Pijl, following that up the next year with his most famous victory on the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 2022 Tour de France. In 2023, two victories came in the form of a stage at the Volta ao Algarve and Strade Bianche, before earlier this season, Pidcock triumphed at the Amstel Gold Race. Some big, notable successes definitely, but hardly the kind of palmares to rival fellow cross-discipline stars such as the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.
"I've said this before: it would be a very good idea if Pidcock were to dedicate himself completely to road cycling," argues Bruyneel. "He has already been world champion cyclocross and two-time Olympic champion on the mountain bike; that is something very big. He still calls it his favourite discipline, just like Van der Poel. But now it is time for him to focus on the road, to be honest."
As for the rumours of his departure from INEOS, Bruyneel is clear in his advice for Pidcock's employers, whether that be the INEOS Grenadiers, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, or the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team: "If I were his current team or possibly his new team, I would say: you have to fully focus on the road now, you have the qualities for it: that's what we're going for."
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