Tom Pidcock will not go for Tour de France GC after all, and criticizes Netflix 'drama': "Drama was created, and it wasn’t even edited chronologically"

Tom Pidcock is one of the most talented cyclists in the world but this creates a problem that most riders do not ever face: He has to choose which big goals he has to let go, to focus on others. The INEOS Grenadiers will most likely give up on his Tour de France GC dream for this year in order to focus on the Olympic Games, supporting the team and perhaps having a go at the yellow jersey.

"I want to race aggressively and win stages. I won’t lose time intentionally in the early stages, but if I need to do that later to achieve my goals and win stages, then I will. You could say we’re postponing my GC ambitions by a year. It’s hard to combine with the Olympics," the Briton admits in a pre-race press conference where he was very honest about his ambitions. Throughout the year he stated he wanted to test himself as a real GC contender at the Tour, and even put INEOS in a difficult position where it seemed like he wouldn't race for the collective but instead for his own ambitions.

A team that includes podium contender Carlos Rodríguez, former winner Egan Bernal, Giro podium finisher Geraint Thomas and Criterium du Dauphiné Top5 finisher Laurens de Plus is not lacking GC contenders and Pidcock was to be another one, testing himself for the third year in a row. But this seemed to become too much to handle for the team and Pidcock wouldn't realistically fight for the podium, whilst the team already has reliable options in their ranks.

"Egan, Carlos and G (Geraint Thomas, ed.) have more experience than I do as GC riders, and we can’t aim for the podium with four guys," he admits. "We know how strong some competitors are, and the fact that we have four riders can work to our advantage. We want to beat them. When I set aside my GC ambitions is a good question. This is ultimately the best way towards the Olympics. Next year will be the first year where it will become clear what I can really do in the GC."

At the end of the day, likely the most sensible reaction. Pidcock is focusing on the Mountain Bike Olympic Games this year and just this weekend won both Short Track and XCO events in Nove Mesto. The Briton is a prime candidate for Olympic Gold in Paris but this is hard to combine with the preparation and efforts that a full Tour de France preparation to fight for overall classification requires. It would be too much on the shoulders of the Briton who, if he failed, could end up in a bad place with his team after his statements.

But it is not just Pidcock who decides what he will do, common sense ruled and the team's say also plays into his role at the Tour. "I will certainly help the others, in various ways. We want to achieve success in this race, however it comes. If there’s a day in the last week when we can fully go for the podium with one leader, we will go all out. Everyone is ambitious, but in this role, I will be somewhat more free, and if I win a stage, it will only help the team, relieving some pressure. Everyone feels the pressure to perform, so we want to race aggressively, like we did in the Giro."

But this does not mean a passive Pidcock at the Tour, as stage wins are very viable and this includes the opening weekend in Italy where there are two explosive hilly safes. "I feel very good and know that I’m strong. Yellow in the opening weekend is possible. I’ve dreamed of it and worked hard for it in recent months. There are many guys with the same dream, so it won’t be easy. But we will certainly go for it."

But in words to several journalists in Florence, Pidcock also brought up the Netflix Series 'Unchained' which portrayed him as a rider who didn't follow team orders on stage 13 of the Tour last year, attacking the final climb to the Grand Colombier whilst teammate Carlos Rodríguez was unwell. This is at the end of the day created drama according to Pidcock:

"They follow us around for three weeks, so they have to make at least one episode about us. I haven’t seen it, but I heard drama was created, and it wasn’t even edited chronologically," he states.

"On that specific climb, everyone was going as hard as they could, so help made no sense. Carlos was aiming for the GC and eventually turned out to be the strongest, that’s just how it was. Lots of drama and undoubtedly an entertaining episode, and if I was the bad boy, so be it". This year, Netflix's camera crews are already present at the Tour and pre-Tour camps with some teams, a third season is already deep in the making.

Teammate Carlos Rodríguez agreed with Pidcock's words and refused the idea of internal tension in the team. "They want to make a series like that entertaining, and in doing so, they sometimes take things out of context to score extra points. Tom and I have a good relationship, and although at a certain point in the series it seemed like he didn’t want to help me, that didn’t make sense," the Spaniard outright stated. "They said he didn’t want to wait on a steep climb, but with 500 steep meters to go, help was no longer useful... I remember that in the twentieth stage, when I crashed, Tom was in the lead group, and when I lost ground, he waited to help me. I have a good relationship with him, and I hope the new Netflix season focuses less on us."