"The most amazing thing was that INEOS initially saw no problem with that (the reported move to the
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team ed.). 'Good that we are rid of that troublemaker,' the followers of owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe must have thought," Wuyts says in his column for
HLN. "They even wanted to extend a helping hand to Q36.5 by paying part of his wages. I suppose Tommy from Leeds, after that bit of brilliance in Emilia, gave his leaders a good talking to. Like 'you see, gentlemen know-it-alls'. 'No Lombardy then, Mr Pidcock. And kick it off. There's no way to gauge your performance.'"
Given Pidcock's standing as one of the INEOS Grenadiers most likely race winners though, Wuyts doesn't feel this was the best approach. "You don't just kick Olympic champions — doubles especially — and Members of the British Empire in the ass," says the Belgian. "They belong to the secure patrimony. Then I prefer a nice pillow full of duck feathers down underneath."
"No, they won't win the Tour," he concludes. "And Pidcock? Whether he will feature more prominently depends on a change in mentality. Completing a build-up programme towards his road campaign more closely is needed. Growing in openness and developing valued leadership becomes essential. ‘May God bless you, Tom.’"